Shattered Reality
by cyberdemon
Summary: Chapter 7 revised. a new force has risen up. They have one plan in mind and that is to destory the guardian force but they are after something else that could tear Van and Fiona apart. Van and Fiona, Irvine and Moonbay, little Raven and Reese.
1. Raven's visit

"So how are things going out there lieutenant?" asked Crougar as they watched the monitor as if waiting for something. He then waited patiently as moments passed without any response.  
  
There was a short pause before a response came back through the link. "All appears to be quiet out there. It appears that the enemy forces have all been driven back. Should we continue the search?" asked the lieutenant.  
  
"Yes, Keep an eye open for them. They may have retreated, but they might have a plan in mind. So keep an eye open if anything should happen. Do you got that lieutenant? Also do not engage them if you find them," said Crougar with seriousness in his voice.  
  
"Yes sir. We will continue our rounds and report if we are to see anything," said the lieutenant before the link shut off.  
  
"I am getting way too old for this. I guess the only reason that I stick around is for my troops. They would probably be lost without me. Although I do think that in the hands of someone like Van they can turn into the best that there is," said Crougar with a slight chuckle.  
  
A few moments later Van, Irvine, and Thomas came walking into the room. "Sir we have done a search of the area around the base and they all have appeared to have retreated," said Van.  
  
"Good. I still have zoids out searching so if they're still in the proximity of this base we will find them. There is nothing else that you can do for now. So you are dismissed until we will need you again," said Crougar rubbing his head where a headache was starting to form.  
  
"Why are they doing this exactly? The war is finally over and we have peace. So why is it that they continue to do all this?" asked Van confused as to why even in the time of peace, there is still a lot of violence going around.  
  
"They are followers of both Prozen and Hiltz. So they have a major grudge against us for what we did to them. For some reason, I don't think that that is the real reason though. I believe there is another motive behind all of this besides just revenge," said Crougar with a sigh as he sat down in a seat.  
  
"What other type of motives do you think that they have? Because if the reason that we know of isn't their true motive. Then I can't think of any other reason for them to do this," said Van in a quiet voice.  
  
"Prozen and Hiltz may be gone, but there are still many more like him. There are those that crave power. Then there are also those that are unable to let go of fighting in this time of peace, which joined them because they know of nothing else. Those are the two type of people that joined up with the rebel forces. I really don't see why people can enjoy fighting and war that much. It was times like those that brought around the trouble with Hiltz. They hate that we have taken away their way of life," said Crougar laying back in the seat massaging his head.  
  
"If they have a grudge against us they shouldn't be going around and destroying villages like they have been doing. It is disrespectful to all that we have tried to teach them while trying to attain peace," said an angry Thomas unable to hold back his fury.  
  
"They don't care. They have changed too much over the years to even care. They have lost friends, and family because of this and I guess they feel that others should suffer as well. A lot of them must think that this might help get their point across by trying to turn some people against us by making them think that we aren't trying to help them. People would become scared and maybe joined them just to save their own selves," said Crougar in a tired voice.  
  
"But why do that if they won't gain the support from them by doing this? I am sure that there are many that would try and support us for as long as they can," said Thomas trying to look on the brighter side of things.  
  
"It is not that simple. The people support us by giving us supplies from time to time, but should they stop we will eventually stop getting the supplies that we need. In a way it is a lose, lose situation for them. On one hand they have the chance to save themselves by stopping giving us supplies, and on the other hand they have the choice to continue helping us yet having a better chance of being destroyed. We have not lost their support for the moment because we have been able to stop many attacks, but the attacks are increasing and sooner or later we might not be able to stop them anymore," said Crougar once again rubbing his head.  
  
"Then we must stop them. The people are counting on us and I do not intend to let them down. We have a duty to attend to, and I will continue with it until my last breathe," said Van in a determined voice.  
  
"Yes, we should. Those are very wise words Van. Probably something your father would say if he was still around," said Crougar with a small smile just thinking about how much Van was becoming like his father.  
  
"Thank you sir. I will do my best to live up to someone as great as him," said Van returning the smile.  
  
"Very well. You are all dismissed for now. I will call you if I need any help from any of you," said Crougar standing up. He looked at the three warriors and knew that the future was now starting to depend more on them than anything.  
  
With one last salute both Van and Thomas left the control room, but Irvine stayed. "What is it Irvine? Is there something else that you want to ask me?" asked Crougar looking at Irvine curiously.  
  
"What will you do if they actually stop giving us the supplies? Will it mean the end of all that we have worked so hard for?" asked Irvine in a worried voice. He really didn't want to think about it but it was something that was constantly on his mind since he heard Crougar talking about it.  
  
"Then we will have even more work to do. Even with that one problem though, we will not stop with our pursuit of justice. They need to be stopped and a small thing like that will not be what will stop us," said Crougar in a tired voice.  
  
"I see. We don't need anymore work than we already have. So I will see that something like that never happens," said Irvine with a smirk. With that said, Irvine turned around and left the room.  
  
"It is people like those three that we need in this day and time. They are willing to fight till the end even at the cost of their lives to maintain the peace. If only there were far more like them, then we wouldn't have to worry about something like this rebellion," said Crougar once again sitting back down in the chair.  
  
*****  
  
Van just walked down the halls as if in a daze thinking over all that was said. 'Why must there always be fighting? I know what it is like to lose someone important to problems like this, but I have no urge to ruin the peace. So why are they all still fighting?' Van asked himself as he continued to walk around.  
  
"Van, is something the matter?" asked Fiona when she ran into him. She was surprised when he jumped a little by her sudden appearance. "I am sorry," said Fiona for sneaking up on him like that.  
  
"It isn't any problem Fiona. I wasn't paying attention to what was going on around me. About what is the matter, I guess it is just all that is happening lately. I mean, we finally got rid of the deathstinger and the deathsaurer, and these people start these attacks when we thought there would be peace. How many times do we manage to obtain peace only to have it taken away from us?" asked Van with a sigh of grief.  
  
"I know how you feel. I was frozen to get away from the destruction that the deathsaurer brought. Yet when I woke up, I find this world that is constantly at war. I want peace just as much as anyone else, but is bloodshed really the way that it needs in order to obtain it?" asked Fiona in a sad tone.  
  
"We have to stop this or else the peace that we worked so hard to attain will have been for nothing. I don't want that to happen. Sooner or later I might end up having a family and I don't want them to be stuck in this type of world when we could have one of peace. Sometimes I wonder what my father would do if he was still around. It sometimes helps me to think of what type of a decision to make in a time like this," said Van.  
  
"Don't worry Van. I am sure you will find a way to stop this. You are one of the strongest people that I know. If there is anyone that is capable of stopping something like this, I am sure that you are one of those people," said Fiona with a smile as she put a comforting hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Thanks Fiona It has always been easy talking to you like this. It has always helped me in calming me about whatever has been bothering me," said Van with a small smile. It was definitely something that Fiona wanted to see in a time like this.  
  
*****  
  
"Sir, I am sorry to say that we were forced to retreat," said a soldier while reporting on what happened. At first appearance he appeared to be shaking slightly at just the sight of the man.  
  
"Miserable failures," growled the man, "I brought you here so that you would help me accomplish my goals of bringing down the empire and the republic. I don't expect any failure from anyone that works for me. So from now on you had better work much harder if you value you life," he continued in a dangerous tone.  
  
"Yes, I know but we were out numbered this time. Plus they have people like Van Flyheight. How are we supposed to continue fighting with a force like that?" asked the shaking soldier.  
  
"Easy. You fight until you very last breath. Live or die, it doesn't matter as long as you obtain victory. If you can't accomplish the simple tasks that I give you then I don't know why I keep you around," said the man.  
  
"Please forgive us, master Zack. I promise that it won't happen again. Just please don't kill me. If you do then you will have less people to fight for you," said the soldier starting to shake even more. He seriously hoped that it would work to get him out of this mess.  
  
"Whatever, you are dismissed. Now get out of my sight before I change my mind," said Zack turning to face the man with his cold violet eyes. The glare that he was sending was enough to scare any man.  
  
"Y-y-y-y-yes sir. I will go right away. Once again I am sorry for our failure," said the soldier as he hastily backed up to the door. As soon as he reached it, he opened it very quickly and dashed out of the room knowing that Zack was easy to change his mind at the last moment.  
  
"Fools," muttered Zack once the soldier left. "Do they actually think that I even give a care about their lives? I would kill them in an instant if I didn't need their help in certain things," said Zack while grumbling many other things as well.  
  
At that moment another man appeared from behind Zack. He took one look at Zack and immediately knew what was up. "I guess I don't have to ask how thing went, do I?" asked the man while standing in the shadows.  
  
"If you have to ask, then you must be much stupider than I originally thought. By the way, what took you so long Ryan? The mission I sent you on couldn't have been that hard to accomplish," said Zack in a much calmer voice than before.  
  
"I have done as you requested but there aren't many left. At most, I could only manage to find two of them with the requirements that we actually need. It was the two that we already knew of though. Do you have any idea where more can be?" asked Ryan in a voice that told people that he didn't fear Zack.  
  
"No, I don't know of the location of any more. These people are fools however. They can't do anything right, so the ones that we do know of we weren't able to get," said Zack. "So what else do you have to report besides what has already been?" asked Zack.  
  
"As far as I can tell there is very few that are even left altogether, like maybe 5 or 6 left in this world but only two of them have what you need. With this help though, we won't be able to get either of them," said Ryan in an annoyed voice.  
  
"One we know the location of, but the other one won't remain still so it is much harder to be able to find the exact location of it. It would definitely be a good idea to keep any of the soldiers from speaking. So I am going to send you out in the next battle to make sure that it will not happen. After the battle is over. If we don't have it, than you will remain in charge of them until the mission is accomplished," said Zack in a demanding voice.  
  
"So I guess we will just stick with this one for now, and go after the other later since we will need both of them. Once we have the two of them, then we will worry about the third," said Zack with a small chuckle in his voice.  
  
"I agree with you. No point worrying about it now when we might come across it along the way. I mean sooner or later we are bound to fins the location of a new one. It is then that we will make our true attack," said Ryan with a small laugh.  
  
"These people still think that I am fighting for their purposes but I have my own I plan in mind that they would hate me for if I told them so we will keep it a secret for now. Does that sound good?" asked Zack with a grin on his face.  
  
"I agree. It isn't like any of them are even smart enough to know our true reason behind all that we have been doing. Even if one was to find out. He wouldn't live long enough to tell it to anyone," said Ryan still laughing.  
  
"They are trying to get me what I want, but they think that it is something that might help them in their own cause. Such a simple plan for us to use on simple minds," said Zack with a wide grin.  
  
"Than I guess I had better go and set up for the battle. They will probably lose without any help anyways," said Ryan as he prepared to leave the room. He was stopped though when Zack spoke.  
  
"You are not going to do any fighting. Let them get creamed for all I care. Just don't let our plans be spilled should any of them manage to be captured. I will have someone get into the base while they are occupied with the battle. He is the one that you need to keep an eye on. He gets captured, and you are to kill him. Do you got that?" asked Zack in a dangerous voice.  
  
"Of course. That is something that might be a bit fun to do. Although I would prefer to be on the battlefield taking on Van Flyheight. I could probably get him out of the way," said Ryan in a tough voice.  
  
"Making sure our plans aren't spilt is far more important than taking out Flyheight at the moment. If he was to know what we are after, than our job might never get done," said Zack with annoyance at the mention of Van.  
  
"I understand sir, and I will make sure that everything remains a secret for the moment. Is there anything else that you would like me to do?" asked Ryan already starting to walk towards the door.  
  
"No, Just get your job done and make sure that no flaws occur with our brilliant plan. Now, get going. We are going to attack them in the dead of night. No one will get in our way. Do you got that? Now go, and I expect some good results when you get back. Whether we achieved getting what we needed or you get your job done. Go now and hurry back," said Zack pointing towards the door.  
  
"As you wish sir. I will get to it right away," Ryan gave a slight bow before walking out of the door of the room leaving Zack alone. The room was very quiet after that until something happened.  
  
Zack then started to give a slight chuckle. "Yes, this plan is perfect. No matter how hard he tries, Van Flyheight will eventually fall to my power. When that day comes, nothing will stand in the way of my victory. He may not be my target at the moment, but eventually he will die," said Zack before breaking out into a full-blown laugh.  
  
*****  
  
"Incoming attack sir. There appears to be a large number of zoids approximately twenty mile south of here heading up in our direction. We are awaiting your command sir," said a soldier sitting behind a computer.  
  
"Everyone get to your zoids. We are going into battle. Be prepared because this is an even large number than the last time we fought these guys. I repeat, everyone get to your zoids," said Crougar over the intercom.  
  
"Why do they seem to be focusing only on this base. So many different bases and they don't give us any bit of rest. I am sick and tired of this," said Van as he ran into the hanger at full speed. He was stopped though by a voice.  
  
"Maybe it is because you are here, Van. A target like you is far too tempting for anyone to pass up. They get the bragging right of that they were the ones to kill the hero of planet Zi Van Flyheight," said a voice from behind the door that Van had just run past.  
  
Van quickly looked only to see Raven behind the door with a smirk on his face. "What are you doing here Raven? I am sure that you must have some other place to be at this moment," said Van with annoyance in his voice.  
  
"No need to be so mean. I am here because I felt like it. It is not like it is exactly going to kill you that I am here," said Raven with the smirk on his face only widening at the look of annoyance on Van's face.  
  
"Actually you probably would try to kill me while you are here. It has been something that you have been trying to do for years," said Van showing his annoyance very clearly.  
  
"No, I never wanted to kill you. I have a lot of respect for you. That is why I just wanted to beat you. Plus, that was the former me. I have changed Van," said Raven with a smirk on his face.  
  
"Well then if you are such a changed man, then why don't you help us? We can definitely use it for all that has been going on," said Van trying to get any help that they could because he wanted to fighting to be over with.  
  
"Forget it. I may have changed but I haven't changed that much. Now I will only fight my own battles against these guys. There is no way that I am going to help you people," said Raven with a slight frown.  
  
"Then why don't you just leave? You are only in the way at the moment. It will also make everyone else feel a bit better, because in case you haven't noticed, there are still people that are afraid of you," said Van trying to get him to leave.  
  
"I am free to do as I want. Besides, I came here for a reason Van. I need to talk to you about all that has been going on. I was hoping that you would be able to fill me in on some of the things that have been happening because I have been having a problem with these guys. Nothing I can't take care of myself but I thought I might as well ask you a question since the military probably know more about this that I do so I figured that I would get it from the source," said Raven trying to get down to the point about why he was even here in the first place.  
  
"I don't have time for this. I have to get out there for the fight. If you need to talk than just stay here and wait because I don't have time to talk at the moment," said Van as he quickly continued to run to his zoid.  
  
'Apparently it isn't only us that they are after, since Van said that they are continuously attacking this base,' thought Raven. 'What are they after. It is apparently something important if they won't leave either of us alone,' Raven thought to himself. He then shrugged it off and went back to his waiting place ignoring all of the stares that he was getting.  
  
*****  
  
"Why. don't. you. guys. ever. give. up?" yelled Van as he said one of the words every time he sliced through a zoid with his blade liger. However, every time he managed to take down two zoid another would appear in its place.  
  
"That is it for these guys. Now time to find some more. I have to stop these guys before they can do anymore damage," said Van looking around. Suddenly a pteras soared over Van's head heading towards the base. "Damn it," yelled Van as he gave chase to it, but some zoids were creating a wall to stop him from getting to the zoid that got by. "Out of my way," yelled Van as he sliced through the zoids but ended up running into even more. "You all have a death wish don't you?" asked Van.  
  
The zoids merely replied by attacking him. One charged him and hit just below Van's cockpit. It was then that he noticed that there was no pilot. "Sleepers. These are just decoys," growled Van in frustration as he realized they were purposely stopping him.  
  
"I know a lot of them actually have pilots, so they must be using these to stop me. What are they after that is in the base though? I had better find out," said Van as he made a hole that he could manage to get through. He put the blade liger to it's limits to get to the base. He quickly jumped out of the blade liger once he had reached it and ran in search of the intruder.  
  
*****  
  
The intruder was running through the base when suddenly he ran over Raven's leg. "An intruder, huh?" asked Raven with slight amusement in his voice. 'Maybe I will have a little fun while I am here and torture some information out of him,' thought Raven with a smirk.  
  
The guy got scared because he realized that this man was Raven, and the guy quickly got to his feet and started to run off but Raven gave chase. "I have questions that I need to ask you, and you are going to answer them either the easy way or the hard way. It is your choice," yelled Raven while running after the man who didn't stop. "I guess it will be the hard way then," yelled Raven remaining in pursuit of the man.  
  
A few moments later Rave saw Van finally catch up to him. "What took you so long? You were about to miss all of the fun," said Raven with a smirk on his face as he continued in the pursuit.  
  
"Sleepers kept getting in my way, but they were no problem. I took them out and then headed straight here. I hope that isn't a problem," said Van smirking just as much as Raven was.  
  
"Not at all. I am sure that you probably have questions that you want to ask that guy as well. Plus I think our two problems are somehow linked together," said Raven in a serious voice.  
  
"What type of problem are you having with these guys? You were on their side so you would think that they would want you to help. Did you do something to s=them to make them angry?" asked Van in a slightly confused voice.  
  
Raven wasn't able to answer though, because the man was now in their reaching range. Van reached out as far as he could and he managed to tackle the guy into the dirt.  
  
"We have questions and you will answer them," said Van. "Now what is this all about. Why the hell are you doing all of this?" yelled Van while shaking the guy hoping to get him to speak.  
  
"I will never tell you," said the soldier with a smirk as he watched Van stand over him.  
  
Van responded by grabbing the man's arm and he twisted it behind his back in a very painful way. Van knew that because of the yell of pain that the man gave after a few moments.  
  
"Why are you after us? You had better tell me right now or else you will be in more pain," said Raven grabbing the arm that Van just had a few moments before and holding it behind the man's back without twisting it yet.  
  
"Why should I tell you," said the soldier in pain. Even without Raven twisting it yet, it still hurt a lot from when Van was twisting his arm. He didn't want to tell because he knew that he would be killed if he did.  
  
"Because I don't think that your arm will take much more. Also know this. I am not as nice as Van is so it will be a lot more painful when I do it," said Raven as he grabbed the arm and started to twist it little by little. The man let off a holler in pain as they heard a cracking sound. "Sounds like your arm is about to break," said Raven.  
  
"Fine, I will tell you. Just please stop. My arm can't take it anymore," said the soldier in great pain.  
  
"Then why is it that you are doing this? Why are you coming after us. You had better tell us now," yelled Van in the man's face. Van was prepared to listen to every word that the man said and use it to stop all the chaos.  
  
"Its because." said the soldier but the next thing they heard was the sound of a gunshot and the soldier dropping to the ground dead. Blood spilled from a bullet wound in the head all over the ground.  
  
Van and Raven looked in the direction that the shot came from and found a tall man on a hill holding a gun down by his side. As soon as they noticed him, he took off running before either of them could even start moving.  
  
When they regained movement from the shock of what had happened. They quickly got up and gave chase but as they got to the top of the hill they looked around and didn't see any sign of him.  
  
"Great he got away. There goes my one lead as to why they are doing this. If only we had gotten the information a little quicker than none of this would have happened," yelled Raven in his fury.  
  
"Why were you trying to get information from him?" asked Van curious as to what Raven's reason were for doing all of this.  
  
"It's because everywhere Reese and I have been going we have been finding these guys, like they were following us. We've changed so we didn't kill them but they still kept showing up everywhere that we go. So even though I didn't like it we came to talk to you about it," said Raven in an annoyed voice.  
  
"They are followers of Prozen and Hiltz or so we heard. So maybe they were coming here and going after you and me because of what we did to them," said Van trying to think of an excuse.  
  
"Maybe," was all that the upset Raven could say. Raven then just got up onto his feet and walked off without even saying a word.  
  
*****  
  
"So how did it go? I expect that you at least have a bit of good news for me. am I right?" asked Zack as Ryan appeared in the room. He waited patiently for a while for Ryan to answer.  
  
"Our soldier that infiltrated the base was caught but was caught by Raven and Van. We were still unable to obtain what we needed. It is always so much fun though to see how annoyed we can get them by not allowing them to know what they wanted," said Ryan with a smirk on his face.  
  
"So Raven knew we were following him. That is interesting. It proves that our soldiers have no ability in sneaking around places. What about the soldier?" asked Zack putting aside all of the other problems.  
  
"I shot him before he told what we were after. Like I said, they were very annoyed at that happening because they both wanted to know what was going on," said Ryan with a smirk.  
  
"Good, because I wouldn't want them know what we are after. It would ruin the whole surprise that I have in store for them when the time comes for me to tell them," said Zack with an amused grin.  
  
"I overheard them talking from my hiding spot and they think that we are after them though. They must only go after the answers that are easiest to think of even if it is wrong," said Ryan with a laugh.  
  
"How little they know," said Zack with a laugh. "If they can't figure out what we are after than I don't think there is even any point in telling them," said Zack still laughing.  
  
"What we are after though still requires one more even if we get the ones we know about," said Ryan. "So do you have any clues as to where a third is located?" asked Ryan scratching the back of his head.  
  
"That is why you are looking for it. You are the one that is supposed to be finding these things out not me. so you had better find it soon because it is only a matter of time before the two are ours," said Zack with a grin.  
  
"I have been looking. There are no more that have what we need. At one time there might have been more with what we need but all of those are gone," said Ryan trying to think of how they could find another.  
  
"Don't worry we will eventually find it," said Zack, "Until then though, we will have to wait and be patient. One might eventually show up it is more of a waiting game till then."  
  
"What will we do if one doesn't show up? All of our plans will be ruined. Unless we find it, all of the trouble that we have been going through will be for nothing," said Ryan in an annoyed voice.  
  
"Then this will all be for nothing as you had said. However, I believe that one will eventually show up so all we have to do is sit back, wait, and let our soldiers do all the work for us until that day happens," said Zack leaning back in the chair he was sitting in.  
  
"I think that it is a pain just looking for them and another bigger pain to try to get our hands on them. You know perfectly well what I am talking about. So why is it that we can't get the ones we know of?" asked Ryan in annoyance..  
  
"You need some more patience," said Zack.  
  
"Sorry sir but patience is really not one of my strong points. I am not the type that is really into waiting but a type that likes to just take action whenever I get the chance," said Ryan with a sigh.  
  
"No need to be sorry. Just as long as you find another one we will get what we have always dreamed of," said Zack.  
  
"Yes sir," said Ryan.  
  
*****  
  
'It is weird that they were after the base that I am in, and they are following Raven, but why. It has to be something far more than just that. I don't really think that that is the reason, so what is there reason for needing to sneaking into the base?' Van asked himself.  
  
"What are you thinking about? Do you think that it is anything that I might be able to help with?" asked Fiona approaching Van who was sitting at a table alone. This startled Van from his contemplating state.  
  
"Oh hey Fiona. I didn't see you there. You must be getting good at sneaking up on me if this is the second time today that you did that," said Van with a smile on his face.  
  
"No. it is just that you aren't even paying attention to what is going on around here. So, are you going to talk to me about what is going on?" asked Fiona hoping to get to the bottom of the problems that Van had been having.  
  
"Raven showed up here earlier today because he was having some trouble with the soldiers from the same people that we have been fighting. Apparently they had been following him and Reese for quite some time," said Van with a sigh.  
  
"Why would they want him? I thought that he had given up on his former life after he helped us to defeat the deathsaurer. So why would they want him?" asked Fiona in a very confused voice.  
  
"We guess that it might have to do with us killing Prozen and Hiltz but we are not positive. I have a feeling that that might not be what they are after. I just can't figure it out though," said Van in a tired voice.  
  
"You shouldn't worry too much. You two are some of the best zoid pilots around so they won't be able to take you down easily. If you keep all of this worrying up you will be too tired to even defend yourself," said Fiona with a bright smile on her face. She hoped that it would help Van feel better.  
  
"I am not certain they are after us even though. I once thought that but not anymore. I am positive that they must be after something else," said Van as he put his head down on the table.  
  
"Why? How do you know that they are after something besides you?" asked Fiona not knowing what Van was talking about at that moment.  
  
"Raven just came to the base so they couldn't have known that he was there and they saw me out on the battlefield. So why would they need to get into the base if they didn't know Raven was here and I wasn't even in the base?" asked Van slamming his fist down in frustration.  
  
"Maybe they were after information that was in this base. That could be the reason. It would make a lot of sense if they were trying to come up with a way to try and defeat you by using data gathered in the base," said Fiona after a short pause in which she used to think.  
  
"That doesn't explain Raven though. Why follow him. He doesn't have any data like this base has. So that cancels out your attempt for an explanation for their behavior," said Van with a sigh thinking that it was hopeless to even try and find out what they were even up to.  
  
"Maybe they just wanted to see if they could get him to join their side. He would make a powerful ally if he was to join sides. It could end up changing the tide of this war," said Fiona after another thought.  
  
"Maybe, but I just don't know what they are really up to. Maybe after a little sleep I will be able to figure this all out," said Van rubbing his head where a headache was forming.  
  
"You go rest. I am sure that after that you will be in better shape to think of reasons for what they are doing," said Fiona with a smile as she stood up waiting for Van. "Care to walk me to my room?" asked Fiona with a sweet smile.  
  
Van couldn't help but smile at this. "Sure. It is on the way anyways. Thanks Fiona for trying to help me out with my problem. It might make it easier thinking through some of those reason we thought of later," said Van smiling back at Fiona.  
  
"You're welcome Van. You should know that I would always be there to help you if you ever needed it. All you have to do is ask and I will do whatever you need help with. Just remember that if you ever have any trouble. Ok?" said Fiona with a smile on her face.  
  
"Yeah, I will make sure that I remember that for the next time that I have a problem. I don't know what I would do without you there to help me when I need it," said Van returning the smile. Van then stood up. "Come on, lets get going," said Van with a smile.  
  
Fiona nodded her head and the two of them walked out of the area talking happily all the way down the halls until they reached their rooms.  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow Fiona," said Van as he kept walking on after he dropped Fiona off at her room. He walked off happily towards his room now with a smile on his face.  
  
Van walked into his room and after quickly getting changed, he got into bed. However one thought kept him up for a while after that. 'What are they after?' That one thought just wouldn't leave Van's head. After a number of minutes of trying Van managed to put it aside and fell asleep in a welcoming sleep. 


	2. protect the wind colony

"Do we have the security tapes from when that guy snuck into the base?" asked Van to a security officer. He was intent on finding what the man was looking for before that other man killed him.  
  
"Sorry sir. There was interference coming from somewhere at the time and it blocked of the security camera's at the time. We have no surveillance from anywhere in the base even now," said the security officer with a tone of regret that he couldn't help at the moment.  
  
'These guys planned it out well,' thought Van, 'they really didn't want us to know anything. First they killed the man when he was going to tell us, and then they messed with the security."  
  
"Like I said I'm sorry. If we do find something, then we will tell you. However, until we do find something, than we can't help you in any way," said the security officer turning back to the screen to try and get it operational again.  
  
"It's alright. Just try and get them up for now. I would appreciate it if you would tell me if you did find anything," said Van as he turned around and started to walk out of the room.  
  
He walked down the halls with no destination in mind until he heard Thomas calling for him. "Hey Van. Wait up," yelled Thomas running to catch up to Van. Bending over, he started to take deep breaths. It was obvious to anyone that he had been running for a while.  
  
"What is it Thomas? Why were you running?" asked Van with curiosity in his voice. "Is it something important because I am starting to get a bit hungry and I want to go get something to eat," said Van after hearing his stomach growl a little out of hunger. He waited silently for Thomas to catch his breath and answer him.  
  
"Colonel Crougar wants to see all of us. He says that we have an important mission that he wants us to complete. He says that the mission is very important and that he wouldn't take no for an answer. Don't see why he would say that because he is the commanding officer in this base so everyone in it has to follow his orders," said Thomas upon catching his breath.  
  
"Ok. I will be there in a few minutes," said Van as he turned around and started to head in the direction of the command room. He stopped though and turned to look at Thomas. "He didn't happen to mention what this mission was supposed to be did he?" asked Van out of curiosity.  
  
"No. He just told me to go get the guardian force and tell them to meet him," said Thomas with a shrug of his shoulders. "Now if you will excuse me, I have to go find Irvine. Bet he will say that he isn't in the guardian force when I mention this to him," said Thomas turning around and running in the opposite direction of Van.  
  
"I wouldn't doubt that Irvine would say something like that. Not that it would really matter since he will get stuck doing this anyways. Who is he even trying to kid anyways? He knows perfectly well that he is in this. Even if he doesn't want to admit it," Van said to himself with a small chuckle.  
  
He continued to walk until he was at the command room. Opening the door, he found out that he was the first one there. Over the next few minutes, many other came into the room. Such people were Thomas, a reluctant Irvine, Fiona, a tired Moonbay, and a bunch of other guardian force members.  
  
"Good. It appears that everyone is here. Now it is time that we get down to business. More and more towns are being destroyed, and we have yet to be able to do anything. Therefore we have gone over everything and tried to find out what their next target will be. With what we know, we are going to be sending each of you to these towns in an attempt to stop them. You are all to stay there until they come or you are ordered back," said Crougar looking over all of them.  
  
"How is that you know where they are going to attack. If you know what they are doing, than why is that you are only now trying to stop them?" asked Van out of curiosity.  
  
"They seem to be targeting the town that give us our supplies or the towns that support us the most. We are going to send you to these towns in an attempt to stop them. Also the only reason that we are starting now is that a bunch of soldiers have just come in so we are able to spare a few to go on this mission. It is not that we have been trying to protect ourselves up till now. We have been trying but their forces have continued to overwhelm a number of our troops. We are now only able to use the guardian force to get the job done. I am sure that you will all be able to handle them because all of you are the best that we have," said Crougar with a proud smile.  
  
"Then why am I even here? I am not a part of the guardian force," said an annoyed Irvine. Everyone but Moonbay ignored him. All Moonbay did about it though was elbow him hard in the stomach.  
  
"Good. Since that is all cleared, you are all free to go. You are to leave as soon as you can. Good luck to all of you, and come back safely," said Crougar with a smile while everyone.  
  
"Um sir. Where are you going to be sending me?" asked Van as he approached Crougar after everyone had left. He thought he might as well know right now instead of waiting a few minutes for him to tell him so that he could just get started immediately.  
  
"The wind colony. I thought that since it was your home that you should be the one to deal with it deal with it there. You are to take Fiona with you as well. The wind colony is one of the most important places for us. They are one of the ones that give us the most supplies. So they are one of the most important to take care of right now," said Crougar. He was happy to see the smile that came upon Van's face upon hearing this.  
  
"Thank you sir. I will make sure that nothing happens there. They will not destroy my home while I am still alive. Thank you sir," said Van with a salute before turning and leaving the room.  
  
*****  
  
"So where is it that Crougar decided to send us to Van?" asked Fiona when they left the base. Van hadn't told her much except that they would be leaving quickly and that he would tell her on the way.  
  
"We're going to the wind colony. We are heading back home," said Van with a smile at the thought of being allowed to head back to his home and see everyone once things were all settled down there.  
  
"So we are going back to your home huh? I can't wait. It will be a good thing for us to get away for a little while and see your sister and all of the other villagers" said Fiona with a smile that matched Van. She looked up to Maria as a sort of sister much like Moonbay so she liked the thought of going.  
  
"They're big supporters of us and are a big target. Crougar believes that they are definitely going to be a target at some point so we are to stay there until they come," said Van looking back towards Fiona.  
  
"It probably also has something to do with you being born there that he wanted you to be sent there. Since we do know that the enemy really hates your guts, it makes it a large target for them to get their hands on.," said Fiona as she stared out of the canopy and into the desert. She didn't want to think of something like that happening to Van's hometown or any of its inhabitants.  
  
"That is why Crougar sent me there and not someone else. He knew that I would have wanted to protect my home," said Van seriously yet with a small smile still on his face. It was quiet for a few minutes before Van spoke again. "When we do get there we won't be able to go into the town," said Van with a slightly saddened look in his eyes as he said it.  
  
"Why can't we go in there and see your sister and the rest of the villagers?" asked Fiona curious as to why they couldn't. She was looking forward to seeing everyone and they weren't allowed to even go in.  
  
"We are to draw them out in the open but if they know we're there they might not even try," said Van a little frustrated as he pounded the controls with his fist. He absolutely hated just sitting around and doing nothing.  
  
Fiona placed one of her hands upon Van's shoulder before she spoke. "It is going to be alright. This is for the best and with you there I am sure that the wind colony will be in safe hands. You will protect it like you said your father used to before he died," said Van giving him a small smile.  
  
"Thanks Fiona. I really needed to hear that. It is not just that that I am frustrated about," said Van as he laid back in the seat placing a hand over his forehead to rub away a migraine that was starting to form.  
  
"What is wrong then? You do know that I am here to listen if you feel like talking about it," said Fiona with a broad smile as she tired to cheer him up. It didn't really do much at that moment.  
  
"Yeah, I know. What is bothering me is that I have this strange feeling that these men are after a lot more than any of us think. You are the one with the premonitions but I know that something bad is bound to happen. I guess that it is just worrying me a bit when I think about what it is that they could want and how it is going to affect all of us if they get it. I tried to figure it out by watching the security tapes but they were all down when they attacked so I didn't know the movements of the guy that managed to break into the base. That could have helped a lot but they weren't there. Maybe I am just being paranoid and giving them far too much credit," said Van with a laugh as he shook his head.  
  
"Not at all. I think that you are probably right about thinking that they are after something. Although I don't know what it is but I know even with a premonition that your instincts are right about all of this," said Fiona with a smile as she kept her hand upon his shoulder.  
  
"Thanks Fiona, once again I really needed that. Come one Zeke. Let's hurry incase they attack before we even get there," said Van trying to calm down a little before he got the blade liger going close to full speed to lessen the time it took to get there. Zeke then growled in response.  
  
*****  
  
They two of them got to the wind colony a few days later and they were happy to find that it was all still in one piece when they got there. all that they had to do now was wait for the enemy to come. They did that for a few days however Van was not happy about it. "This is so boring," said Van after they had been waiting for a few days. He had never been a very patient person and all of this waiting was really starting to get on his nerves very fast.  
  
"I know it is but we have to follow orders and stay out of the town. Just think of what we can do when this is all over though. We can go and see your sister and eat some of her delicious food," said Fiona trying to look on the brighter side of things for the moment. She nearly laughed when she looked at Van and saw that he was drooling at the mere thought of a delicious homemade meal by Maria "Close your mouth Van," said Fiona with a giggle as he shut his mouth.  
  
"I hope that they come soon or we are going to end up running out of supplies very quickly," said Van as he looked at their diminishing stash of food, "and we were told to stay out of the town until they come so that means we can't restock until they come," said Van with a frown. Van just looked out of the cockpit when he thought he saw something. "Huh, what was that?" said Van as he tried to look a little harder out of the cockpit.  
  
"What is it Van?" asked Fiona seeing him looking out of the cockpit like he had seen something but she didn't see anything when she looked out side. "Did you notice something Van?" asked Fiona as she continued to try and see what Van was looking at but she failed yet again.  
  
"I think I just saw something," said Van said Van as he sat down and quickly searched for any sign of the binoculars that he had brought with them before they had left.  
  
"What did you see?" asked Fiona asked Fiona grabbing the binoculars from right next to Van and handing it to him without even taking a look to see what he was seeing with her own eyes first.  
  
"I don't know," said Van. He opened up the cockpit and took the binoculars that Fiona was handing him. Looking through them he saw what he thought they we most liking going to be. "They're here," said Van with a smirk as he gave Fiona the binoculars so that she could see what he was talking about for herself.  
  
"Uh Van," said Fiona and Van could tell that something was wrong with the way she said it. She said it with a slightly nervous voice once she saw something. She put the binoculars down and looked at Van.  
  
"What is it? Is there something wrong with all of this" asked Van in a slightly worried voice once he noticed the worried expression on Fiona's face. It was something that he never liked to see on her face because it always tended to mean that something bad was going to happen.  
  
"There's not only zoids but also a few dozen soldiers as well," said Fiona pointing towards the wind colony where there were a good amount of soldiers. "Uh... how exactly are we going to be able to take on that many of them all by ourselves?" asked Fiona hoping that Van would have an answer to that.  
  
"We will have to separate their forces by dividing them with two different attacks," said Van calmly. "Zeke take over the controls of the blade liger and take care of the zoids. Fiona come with me we have to help them," said Van as he held out a hand to help Fiona out of the blade liger.  
  
"Right," said Fiona as she grabbed his hand and both her and Van jumped out of the cockpit but not before grabbing weapons to protect themselves with. They both ran to the wind colony while Zeke took off to take care of the zoids.  
  
*****  
  
"Get all the citizens to a safe place," said the village priest upon seeing the soldiers charge in. "I heard about this. They have been destroying town after town and not even the guardian force has been able to help," he said. "Anyone capable of fighting stay and help out the others," he yelled.  
  
The people were in a panic and running everywhere. "Help!" came the scream of Van's sister Maria as a soldier was advancing on her. The man was looking at her through hungry and lustful eyes.  
  
"No, stay away from her," said the priest as he ran to try to get to her but was stopped by another soldier. "Great," said the priest with a groan of frustration as he tried to get around the man but every move he made the man made.  
  
"Hold it right there you're not helping anyone," said the soldier with a confident smirk on his face, "Hey where are the zoids they should be here by now," yelled the soldier into a communicator. Suddenly though it was shot out of his hand. "What the," said the soldier looking around but he couldn't find anyone.  
  
The priest used this time to hit the soldier hard. He dropped the gun he had and the priest picked it up and very swiftly he pointed it at the man. 'Being in the military for a few years has really paid off,' thought the priest as he held the gun steady in its position.  
  
"Hold it right there," said the other soldier who had a gun pointed to Maria, "Drop the gun or she will get it," said the soldier as he pointed the gun right to Maria's forehead making the woman whimper a little.  
  
The priest had no choice and put down the gun. The soldier that he hit then hit him. "Give up there is no hope," said the soldier with a smirk. The priest could do nothing but glare at him.  
  
"That's not good," said Van on a rooftop that he climbed on top of. He saw everyone including his sister being rallied into one place but there was still a pretty good amount that were trying to get away. It was unfortunate that no one was able to get away because they were caught rather quickly  
  
"Van you have to help them," said Fiona upon seeing them taken away to a group of other villagers that were caught as well. She hated to see the fear and panic that were on the people's faces at that moment. All were scared that they would either die or lose their homes.  
  
"We don't have the strength to take them all on at once," said Van. "Let's hope that Zeke can at least take care of the zoids. If we are lucky than that might draw the attention of a number of them away from the village. That way we will be able to take them down much easier but that isn't to say that it will still be easy," said Van as he stared down at all of his fellow villagers. He couldn't blame any of them for being scared, if he was in their position he thought that he would be scared as well but with all of the years of military training that he has had, he doesn't really fear that much anymore except for a few things.  
  
"What do you think will happen until then? Do you think that we might have to go against them all if they don't leave to go take care of Zeke?" asked Fiona slightly nervous.  
  
"It is always a possibility. I realize it will be dangerous but I am not going to just leave them all down there to be killed. My father wouldn't, I wouldn't," said Van as he smirked at the thought.  
  
*****  
  
Night came and by then all the villagers had been put in one place. The air was cold despite them being in the middle of the desert. The families all remained together to try and keep warm as the soldiers walked around them looking at them with eyes of malice.  
  
The leader seemed to be getting impatient. He grabbed another communicator and yelled into it. "Where are the zoids," he yelled at the top of his lungs. All that came back was static. He gave a groan as he threw the communicator at the ground but it didn't break. "Half of you get to your zoids and find out what is taking them so long and why they aren't answer the damn communicator," yelled the leader frightening even his own allies..  
  
"Yes sir. We will head out there right now," said one of the soldiers as they ran off as fast as they could in order to avoid the wrath of the leader. They were even more afraid of what would happen if they failed and went back to their commander. He was even worse than anyone that was there.  
  
"Something is going on and I don't like it," said the leader quietly as he started to pace back and forth waiting for a reply that would satisfy him, which would be that the zoid has been obliterated.  
  
"When the guardian force hears about this they will come and then they will put you in your place," yelled Maria when she suddenly found the courage to speak to the leader.  
  
"How do you know? What makes you think that they haven't already abandoned you like they have all of the rest of the villages that we have destroyed," said the leader looking at her with a smirk on his face as he tried to instill fear into every one of the villagers again.  
  
"Because I know my brother wouldn't abandon us. Van would never abandon us. I am sure that he will be here at any moment to defeat you all and save us," said Maria as she stood right into the man's face only to be shoved very roughly to the ground by the man.  
  
"Ah, so you are the sister of Van Flyheight. I heard you were in this village. I also heard that you were quite the beauty. I guess that everything that I heard was true," said the soldier with a smirk on his face, as he looked Maria up and down taking in her form.  
  
Suddenly a voice came over the communicator it was blurry from static but it said, "Sir... there is... blue... zoid out here... it destroyed the... other zoids... and we are having a lot of trouble with it," said the man before the communicator turned to complete static. Meaning that most likely the zoids was destroyed.  
  
Now the man was pissed because he knew that it had to be the guardian force that was here to at least try and save the villagers. "You ten stay here with me to guard the villagers so they don't get away. The rest of you go and take care of that zoid," yelled the leader who was red with fury, "And get the ones we left behind to go in. The numbers will be so great that the zoid won't stand a chance," said the leader with a smirk as he knew that it would more than likely be a fast battle with the amount of zoids they had.  
  
"Yes sir," said many of the soldiers who ran off but not before saluting to the man to show their respects. They all knew that their leader required them to do it and if they forgot, he punished them.  
  
"I don't know what is going on but I plan to find out. Whoever it is that is trying to mess with us is seriously going to regret his actions when we are through with him," said the leader soldier with a scowl as he pulled out his gun and pointed it at anyone that even dared to move from their spots.  
  
"Good job Zeke. Now lets get started Fiona we should be able to take them much easier with only ten of them. I am sure that Zeke will be able to take care of the rest," said Van pulling out his father's knife.  
  
"I'm with you Van. I will take position up here to support you if you need any help," said Fiona as she placed a hand on Van's shoulder to tell him quietly that she was right behind him.  
  
"Thanks Fiona," said Van with a smile as he tied a string around his father's knife and took aim at the gun in the leaders hand. 'You are not going to hurt my family or any of my friends,' thought Van as he took aim and let the knife fly out of his hands.  
  
It came so fast none of them could react. A knife came out of nowhere and hit the gun sending them both into a wall with the knife getting stuck into a wall. "What the hell!" yelled the soldier as he clutched his sore hand.  
  
"But that's," said Maria upon seeing the knife and she was able to immediately recognize what it was her fathers old knife. 'If that is father's knife, than that could only mean,' thought Maria with a surprised look on her face.  
  
The knife suddenly was pulled back. "Who did that!" yelled the leader looking all around. He looked at where the knife was going and saw it fly back into the hands of Van. He knew who it was and in a way he was glad to see him. 'If I can kill him than it will give me quite a reputation,' thought the leader with a smirk.  
  
"By orders of the guardian force you are all under arrest. Since I am sure you already know who I am than I guess we can just skip the introductions," said Van trying to lighten the mood a little.  
  
"Van," yelled Maria happy to see her little brother there to help them out in their time of need just like their father used to do. 'Just standing there it almost looks like dad. Van looks so much like him now, only a little younger,' thought Maria with a smile.  
  
Van jumped to the ground and immediately he took down two soldiers before they could prepare themselves. The next thing Van knew though nine guns were pointed at him.  
  
"I give you points for bravery but it was pretty stupid for you to try and take us all on. so I guess that I will just have to take those points back from you," said the leader with a smirk as he pointed his gun towards Van.  
  
Suddenly someone opened fire on them. The aiming wasn't the best and it shot at the legs of the soldier making them all dance. Almost every one of the villagers were laughing at the entertainment that was presented to them.  
  
"Thanks Fiona. You saved me there," yelled Van as he took down a number of other of soldiers. He was having trouble because the image of them dancing kept playing through his head. He managed to put it aside as he worked to knock out as many as he could.  
  
One of the soldiers was about to fire their gun at Van but one of the villagers managed to take him down with a frying pan they managed to get a hold of. Soon enough though everyone was up and was fighting to get rid of the soldiers from their homes. Having Van there seemed to do the trick to manage to get everyone to fight back.  
  
"I suggest you drop you gun, and come quietly or I will be forced to shoot," said Van with a stern voice. He really didn't want to shoot the guy. He wanted to take him in so that he could ask some questions. He was higher ranking than the rest so there was a good chance that this guy knew what was going on and what their leader wanted from the guardian force.  
  
"I will never be taken by you. I would rather die than allow myself to be taken in," said the leader with a scowl on his face. Very quickly he took out a hidden gun but instead of pointing it Van, he pointed it at his head and pulled the trigger. There was a bang and then his lifeless body fell to the ground with a thud.  
  
"I can't believe that he did that to himself. It was like he didn't even value his own life in the least bit," said Van with a frown as he looked over the dead man. 'He was the key to some answers but now I still don't know what is going on,' thought Van sadly.  
  
"Van are you ok?" asked Fiona when the rest had been taken care of. She noticed the sad look in his eyes and it kind of worried her a bit. "Is everything all right?" she asked when he didn't respond.  
  
"Yeah, but I wanted to bring him in. He could have answered some of the questions that we had but he killed himself instead. Who ever is in charge of them must not care about their well-being as long as his secret remains secret. So he just makes them kill themselves if there is a chance they would be captured," said Van sadly as he looked off into the distance.  
  
"I know you are upset. I am too. He should have had to kill himself for something like this," said Fiona quietly as she looked in the same direction as Van. "There is no point in thinking about it too much now. It will only get in the way of our future missions, especially if they have to do with these rebels," said Fiona with a small smile as she placed a comforting hand on Van's shoulder. She was pleased when she saw his reaction was a smile.  
  
"Hello Van. It is good to see you once again. I hope that you are keeping out of trouble," said the priest walking up to him while laughing a little bit.  
  
"Hey there. It is good to see you again too. Don't worry I am staying out of trouble, or at least I am trying to," said Van with a slight shrug of his shoulders as well as a bit of humor in his voice.  
  
"How did you know this place was going to be attacked? We didn't even have a clue until all the soldiers just suddenly came storming into the village and started to drag us out of our houses," said the priest with a slightly confused look on his face.  
  
"Crougar had a hunch that it would be attacked because of its connection to the guardian force. I would say it was a very good assumption now that it has all happened," said Van with a small smile crossing his face.  
  
"Well we were glad for the help. I am not sure what would have happened to us had you been here to help us. By the way. When was it that you got here?," asked the priest since Van never showed himself until now.  
  
"It was no problem. We got here a few days ago but we were ordered to stay out of sight until they showed up," said Van with a small shake of his head. "Listen we have to head back I hope that you will be prepared now should they make another attack because we can't stay here forever," said Van with a gloomy look on his face just thinking about it.  
  
"We will, so you have nothing to worry about," said Maria with a bright smile on her face. "Why don't you two stay for the night and leave in the morning. I will make you something because I am sure that you are both starving," said Maria still smiling. She didn't need a response since she heard the growl of Van's stomach.  
  
"I think we will," said Van with an embarrassed chuckle. "I am definitely starving because we were running out of supplies in the blade liger. "How does that sound Fiona?" asked Van as he turned his attention towards Fiona who gave him a bright smile that he knew was a yes.  
  
"Good because it has been a while since we could see you and it would be good to talk to you for a while. Now come with me so that we can talk," said Maria the three of them walked towards the house.  
  
*****  
  
"What do you mean our attempts have failed? With a force as large as we have sent, you say that Van Flyheight defeated it. Even he should have fallen to that immense of a power," yelled Zack upon hearing the news. He made the decision to attack the wind colony to try and anger Van. He had experience with that sort of thing in the past and he knew that anger tends to cloud a person's judgment and make them tend to do things without really thinking. He knew that with Van like that he wouldn't be able to attack. It might of increased the intensity but he would more than likely get a bit careless in the battle.  
  
"The guardian force was prepared for us and all the attempts we have made failed because they sent some of their members to most of our other targets. It also doesn't help that the people of some of the places that we attacked rose up against us now," said Ryan with an annoyed sigh.  
  
"Talk about incompetence. I don't know why I even bother trying to put up with these failures," growled Zack as he placed his head in his hands and growled out of frustration.  
  
"Are we still going with our original plan sir? If you wish, I will undertake this mission personally since we know that these failures would never be able to pull it off with Van Flyheight around it constantly. I will at least make sure that I will hurt him if I should fail to capture it," said Ryan with a smirk on his face.  
  
"Yes. You are to retrieve it as soon as possible I can't trust anyone around me except for you. I know you will at least have a small bit of good news by the time that you come back," said Zack with a knowing smile.  
  
"Yes sir. I will make sure to bring the news that you are hoping for. All you have to do is be patient while I wait for the perfect opportunity to strike," said Ryan with a bow before he left the room.  
  
Zack was now all alone in the room. He wore a placid expression on his face but soon it turned into a grin. 'How long do you think you will survive us Van Flyheight? How long do you think you can keep it from us before you fail?' thought Zack as his grin only grew. 


	3. ruined date

"Hey Fiona, what's up? You look like you have had something on you mind lately," said Moonbay seeing Fiona sitting all alone drinking coffee a few days after they came back from the wind colony. 

"Nothing. I just want to be alone for a little while," said Fiona quietly. She the grabbed her mug of salty coffee and took a small sip out of it. She looked up at Moonbay seeing Moonbay still staring at her without any intention on moving.

"Something wrong?" asked Moonbay seeing that Fiona seemed kind of distant. Ever since their return from their mission at the wind colony, Fiona seemed a bit distant and it made Moonbay worry about her friend

"No, why would anything be wrong?" asked Fiona a little too quickly and even she knew that. She just wanted to get her thoughts together before she decided to tell anyone about it but Fiona felt that Moonbay would somehow manage to get it out of her anyways.

Moonbay could tell though that she wasn't being completely honest. "Alright spill. What's wrong, and you had better not tell me that nothing is wrong because it is written all over you face that something is bugging you?" asked Moonbay much more seriously. She wanted to help but if Fiona wasn't going to talk to her than she was just going to have to force it out.

"I already told you nothing is wrong. Is there something about that that you don't understand?" asked Fiona a little annoyed but she put on a smile to try and hide her confused feelings.

"It is because I don't buy it. I know something is wrong so spill it," said Moonbay a little bit more forcibly. Fiona didn't respond but looked in the other direction. "It's about Van isn't it?" asked Moonbay with a small smirk crossing her face. This made Fiona look at her very slowly with a light pink shade on her face. "It is isn't it," said Moonbay knowing that she had ended up hitting the nail right on the nose. Fiona just nodded her head and took a drink of her coffee. "Could it be because you love him and don't know how he feels about you? I know that you value his friendship above the rest of ours and you don't want to ruin by saying something that you think that he might not agree with," said Moonbay as she read her friend as if she was an open book.

"What makes you say that? I just said it had to do with Van I didn't mean it like that," said Fiona but Moonbay could see that she was blushing. Fiona tried to control her heated face but it was doing no good.

It was becoming far too easy to get these answers out of Fiona. "Drop the act. Everyone knows how you feel about him Fiona. We have seen the way you look at him whenever he is around and it is with an expression of pure love," said Moonbay smiling at her friend as she walked over and placed a hand on Fiona's shoulder. Fiona only seemed to grow redder. "It is nothing to be ashamed of Fiona. No one can help how they feel. You just have to choose how you are going to handle you situation with Van. I suggest that you tell him because it seems that the only that doesn't know of your feeling is Van," said Moonbay quietly with a smile.

"I guess, but I am not sure how he would react to it. Sometimes it tends to scare me a bit to think about what his reaction would be," said Fiona with the fear very present within her voice.

"Then why don't you take a chance and just tell him? You never know, maybe it will all turn out for the better for the better. As far as I am concerned, I think that the two of you would make for a very beautiful couple," said Moonbay hoping that her words would help Fiona to come over her fears..

"I can't, I just can't," said Fiona as her eyes stared at the coffee cup as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. She knew that her answer would not satisfy Moonbay but she thought that she could at least try and hope for the best that Moonbay would just leave her alone after that.

"Sure you can. All you have to do is go up to him and tell him how you feel. Is that really all that hard when you think about it?" asked Moonbay getting annoyed with her friend's stubbornness.

"Yes it is and I just don't think that I can. Now please drop the subject because I really don't feel like talking about," Fiona nearly yelled before she got up from the table she was at and walked away.

Fiona just laid on her bed long after everyone was asleep. "If I do love Van then why can't I tell him? Am I really that that afraid to tell him my feelings?" Fiona asked herself as she stared at herself in a mirror.

'It is because if we were to tell him, bad things would only happen to him. I am sure that that is something that you don't want,' her brain told her as if it was the most simple thing to hear.

"Van is strong he won't get hurt so easily. That can't be the reason," Fiona said thinking that she was going crazy since she was starting to have a conversation with herself. That type of thing is never a good sign.

'Just keep telling yourself that. Maybe at some point you will actually start to believe yourself,' her brain taunted which was really starting to get on her nerves. 'He will end up getting hurt should you continue on with this little affection you have for him,' her brain continued.

Fiona then made a decision. "I am going to tell him," she said quietly to herself. She decided to go with what her heart wanted her to do rather than what her brain wanted to her to at that moment.

'Fine just ignore your brain which has helped you out through most of your life. I am going on vacation. Call me if you want me back,' said her brain told her before the sound disappeared.

Gathering what courage that she could, Fiona got out of her current seat and walked towards the door. She stopped right before she grabbed the handle but before she could have second thoughts, she grabbed the handle and walked out of the room as quickly as possible. It was a mere moment later that she ran into Van because he was walking past her room at the time. 'Oh great. I didn't think that I would end up running into him this soon,' thought Fiona as she panicked for a second before calming down and putting on the best smile that she muster.

"Hey Fiona. How are you doing?" asked Van when Fiona walked up to him. He noticed her nervous posture despite the calm expression that she currently had on her face. It was definitely hard to tell what it was that she was feeling at that moment.

"Um Van I was wondering if I could talk to you about something?" asked Fiona finally showing all of the nervousness that she was trying her best to hold in but she was quickly losing that battle more and more with each passing second.

"Sure what do you want to talk about? I am all ears so please feel free to be able to tell me anything that is on your mind" said Van trying to find a way that he could calm her down a little but nothing was coming to his mind at that moment.

"I don't want to say it here," said Fiona with a light blush as she found the ground very interesting. "It is kind of important so can we talk someplace else?" asked Fiona as she looked up at Van with pleading eyes.

"Sure, Lets try to find someplace quiet where you can talk without being disturbed," said Van with a smile as he placed a hand on Fiona shoulder to reassure her since she looked very nervous at that moment. 'I wonder why she is so nervous right now. She has never been like this when she has been around me before,' Van told himself as he looked at Fiona curiously.

"C-can I just tell you later tonight?" asked Fiona quietly. She didn't know why she was so nervous. She knew that Van would not intentional feeling by laughing at her, he was her friend so she knew that he wouldn't do that, at least she hoped that when she decided to tell her feeling he wouldn't laugh. So she didn't know what was making her so nervous.

"I guess if that is what you want. Wait I have an idea. I think it will be a good idea to calm you down a little bit so that you can talk clearly when you sya what you wanted to," said Van with a smirk on his face.

"What is it? What type of idea do you have?" asked Fiona as her mind started to go through all of the ideas that Van was thinking of at that moment. She was able to come up with a lot but what came up next was one of the things that she wasn't able to think of.

"How about instead I just take you into town to get something to eat," said Van with a bright smile, "You seemed troubled lately and I thought it would be a good way of getting your mind off it as well as calm you down like I said," said Van as he saw Fiona's shocked expression.

"O-ok. T-that would be great," stuttered Fiona as she walked away with a slight blush that Van couldn't see. 'I looked like I total fool back there,' thought Fiona because of how flustered she was while she was talking to Van. 'Not really the best of ways to start things out for today,' thought Fiona with a blush.

"What was that about?" asked Irvine who just so happened to be walking by. He saw Fiona walking away a little fast with a bright blush upon her face so he was curious as to what the two of them were talking about.

"Fiona just wanted to talk to me. She looked really nervous though," said Van looking at Fiona's retreating form. He had no idea what was going through her mind at that moment but he hoped to find out that night when the two of them went out.

"Really? Why is that? What did you say to her to make her look that red?" asked Irvine but the confused look on Van's face at his last comment made him realize how dense Van was if he hadn't seen Fiona since she was as red as a tomato.

"She looked trouble so I thought that I could maybe take her out for something to eat so that it would calm her down and maybe make it easier for her to say what she was so nervous to tell me a few minutes ago," said Van with a shrug of his shoulder. He looked up and saw a big grin on Irvine's face and knew that it couldn't really mean anything too good.

"Oh, so you mean you are taking her on a date," said Irvine grinning at Van's shocked expression. 'Apparently Van hadn't really thought of it along those lines,' thought Irvine feeling that he could have a little fun with this. "Well I think it is about time that you made a move towards a relationship with Fiona," said Irvine trying to contain his laughter with how bright Van was becoming.

"I-It's not like that. I am taking her out so that she can relax for a little while and get her mind off of her troubles. I-It's not a date," stuttered Van mentally hitting himself for sounding like an idiot while saying this.

"There is nothing to be embarrasses about Van. I just think that it is nice that you are realizing your feelings for her. I have to tell Moonbay this," said Irvine as he ran off before Van could say anything but when he was close to out of sight, he heard Van growl and that only made his grin grow in size knowing that he had gotten to Van. 'Today is such a good day,' thought Irvine with a laugh.

"Now Van I only have one question," said Moonbay appearing out of nowhere as Van was walking towards the hanger. She nearly laughed her head off when she saw how high and how far Van jumped when she had talked to him.

"Don't scare me like that or you'll give me a heart attack," said Van holding his chest. He took a few moments to calm down and to gain control of his heart before he spoke again. "What is it?" asked Van wondering what she had scared the living hell out of him in order to talk to him.

"This little thing you are doing with Fiona later today. Is it to cheer her up like you said, or is it possible there is another motive behind it," said Moonbay with a smile as all the different possibilities were going through Van's head and through all of them she saw him with Fiona and the two were most liking kissing.

"Come again," said Van hoping that she wasn't going to get on his case like Irvine had so he decided to act a little naïve when he was around any of them. It was never a good thing when the two of them set their sights on a person in order to tease them.

"Are you doing this for Fiona or for your own purposes?" asked Moonbay knowing that she was going to have as much fun torturing Van with this like Irvine had done not long before. He looked like he wanted to laugh when he had told her what Van had told him. Although she was teasing him, Moonbay felt that it was a very nice thing for him to do. She knew Fiona would never confess if she was nervous and this would be the best situation to calm her down enough to talk about it even a little.

"What sort of purposes are you talking about?" Van asked getting a little annoyed that she wasn't letting up but he still continued to try and get her off his case enough so that he could get away before he was noticed and then forced to answer more and more embarrassing questions from Irvine or Moonbay.

"I mean you wanting to be near her, hold her, possibly even kiss her," said Moonbay making fake gestures while saying each of these. All the while she was holding back the laugh at how bright a red Van's face was getting. She didn't even know that that shade of red even existed.

Van turned his back to her and said, "I am doing it for Fiona, nothing more," he said but what Moonbay couldn't see was that he was blushing. He then just walked away, but Moonbay could tell like Irvine that he wasn't telling the complete truth behind his reasons for why he had done what he did. This just made her grin. 'Treat her well tonight Van because I am pretty sure that this is the first date that she has ever been on,' thought Moonbay with a smile as she turned around and walked in the opposite direction of the way that Van went.

Fiona was getting prepared for the time she was going to spend with Van. She got into the prettiest dress she had in hopes off looking good for Van when she told him how she felt about him. She ran a brush through her hair trying to get as many tangles out of it as she could. When she was completely ready there was a knock on her door. Fiona opened it to see Van waiting for her.

"You look nice Fiona," said Van examining Fiona. The dress she wore was pink like most of the other clothing that she had but he felt that she looked pretty good in that color. Fiona tried to hide the blush that came to her face from his stares. Fortunately Van didn't seem to notice. "You ready to go?" asked Van as he held out his hand to take hers waiting for her to take it in his.

Fiona just nodded her head as she carefully grabbed his hand and the two of them walked out of the room and down the hall very slowly. 'When will be the right time to tell him?' Fiona asked herself as she took as quick look up at Van's face and the peaceful expression that he had on at that moment.

Van however was far from calm. All the things that Irvine and Moonbay had said to him earlier were really starting to get to him. He was sweating a little and using his free hand he pulled at the collar of his shirt.

As they were walking out of the base they heard the clanking of metal meaning that Zeke was following. "Sorry Zeke, not this time. This time it is going to be just Fiona and me. Sorry," said Van but he felt bad upon seeing the hurt look within Zeke's eyes. "I am sorry buddy but I promise to make it up to you sometime," said Van trying to cheer up Zeke. He heard Zeke give a small growl before he walked away with his head held low.

Fiona felt bad for Zeke but she knew that what she had to tell Van she wanted to tell him with nothing around, so she was a little thankful that Van had done that. The two walked over to the blade liger and after having gotten in, the two rode off quickly in the direction of the closest city.

The city looked magnificent in the night with the buildings all lit up and gave the sky a light glow to it to make t look like it was day only a little cloudy. Couples were all around them as they took advantage of the peaceful night to be with the ones that they cared for the most.

"Wow! It looks absolutely beautiful tonight," said Fiona as she looked up at the star filled sky with a look of wonder. Sure, she had seen the night sky before but it was rare nowadays for her to be looking up at them with Van at her side.

"Yeah, they are," said Van as he stood next to her and looked up at the sky as well. "I haven't been able to do this sort of thing for a while. Being in the guardian force has taken up so much of my time that I rarely get enough time to have a little fun. Maybe I should talk to Crougar about giving me a little extra time so that I can just relax," said Van with a smile on his face. 'The sky is beautiful, but I think that Fiona's beauty tonight is enough to rival it splendor and beat it by a long shot,' thought Van with a light blush because of his thought.

"So where are we going to go Van?" asked Fiona with a bright smile on her face. She could go anywhere with Van and be happy about it but she really wanted to know where it was that they were going.

There is a restaurant close to here that we will be going to. I went there once and it had some really good food," said Van answering Fiona question. "Is there anything that you would like to do after that?" asked Van as the two walked in the direction of the restaurant.

The restaurant was an elegant one that gave a comfortable feel to whoever at from it. It didn't look to be terribly expensive yet at the same time it was one that still served good food for a cheep price.

Van and Fiona walked into the restaurant and were immediately confronted by a waiter. "How can I help you to," said the man in a heavy French accent. He looked to be very kind.

"Two under the name of Flyheight," said Van shocking the man into looking at Van in wonder. Van had gotten that type of expression from many people because he looked too young to be some great war hero.

"Y-yes sir," said the man as he led them up some stairs and out a set of glass doors onto a porch. There was no roof so it gave a clear look at the sky while its occupants ate. There were already a few people out there as it was and they looked very happy. "I will go get your menus and be back immediately," said the waiter with a bow before he walked away.

"This place is very nice Van. How is it that you came across it?" asked Fiona out of mere curiosity. Fiona absolutely loved how beautiful the place looked and hoped that they would be able to come back there again.

"Crougar once had a military meeting that he had to go to and he brought me along. It just so happens that this is the place that we ended up going to," said Van with a smile as he got comfortable in his seat. He knew that Fiona would like this place which was the reason that he had brought her here rather than to any of the other restaurants that were in the area.

A light breeze blew by and blew Fiona's hair a little of to the side. With the moon glowing down upon her, Van saw the true beauty that was Fiona and he blushed yet again but turned away so that Fiona would see it.

"This feels good," said Fiona as she closed her eyes and lets the wind blow against her face. She had never had a night like this before this even if it had just started, and she hoped that it wouldn't be the last.

They were stopped from any more conversation when the waiter returned carrying the menus. Van and Fiona took them with a smile. They quickly ordered andsoon got back to their conversations.

Things were very peaceful for them as they walked through a park in the middle of the city. They had had dinner but they hadn't gone back to the base yet. All seemed very peaceful. It was like they didn't need words to convey how comfortable they felt around each other. The quietness could only last for so long before it is broken though.

"What is it that you wanted to tell me earlier?" asked Van which ended the silence that was going on between them. It was kind of a shame to break it for Van but his curiosity was getting the better of him at that moment.

"Well, I... I don't really know how to say this," said Fiona as the nervousness started to come back to her. 'Damn my nerves,' Fiona mentally berated herself as she felt he knees start to feel a little weak.

"Then just say the first thing that comes to your mind about it. If it is something embarrassing I promise that I won't laugh," said Van with a bright smile that made Fiona smile a little but not really all that much. Her face still held the nervousness that her heart had been feeling for so long only much greater now that she was trying to confess her feeling to Van.

'What that I love you with all my heart and yet am too afraid to even try and tell you about it,' Fiona thought to herself with a sad sigh. 'I would do anything to be able to get this off of my chest but it is so hard,' thought Fiona sadly.

"Well? Why are you so afraid to talk to me? If you have a problem then maybe I can help you with it. All you need to do is tell me what is on your mind," said Van trying not to force the subject but starting to worry a little because of how nervous Fiona looked. It began to make him wonder if maybe something was wrong with Fiona.

'My problem is that I can't pick up the nerves to tell you of my feelings,' Fiona thought to herself. "I..." said Fiona but she just couldn't seem to say it. Fiona looked at Van and noticed that he wasn't looking at her but past her. She turned around and saw that there appeared to be some sort of gang behind them.

"Well look what we have here boys. Looks like we have hit the jackpot here," said a man that was in front of all the rest, upon the way they were standing and how the guy was acting one could only assume that he was the leader of this gang. He walked up to Fiona and looked at her from head to toe. "Hey there good looking. Why don't you dump the shrimp and enjoy a time out with a real man," said the guy as he tried to feel Fiona up only to have her pull away from him as quickly as possible.

Fiona quickly stood behind Van to keep away from those men. "Pleas leave us alone. We don't want any trouble," said Fiona a little timidly. She clutched onto Van's shirt when the man stepped towards the two of them again.

"What do you want?" asked Van glaring at the man. He did not like how that man was treating Fiona so he pushed Fiona out of the way a little so he couldn't get to her. When the man didn't speak Van continued. "If you don't have anything to say then leave us alone. So what do you want?" asked Van but this time the man responded by walking forward towards Van.

"What do you think we want," said the man getting right in Van face. He then looked over towards Fiona and then towards van again and breathed right into his face with very disgusting breath.

"A breath mint maybe," said Van plugging his nose up. His breath smelt like rotten eggs and it made Van nose want to shrink away from the foul man. This angered the man and he punched Van in the stomach. Van was able to quickly recover and got up quickly. "Let's get out of here," said Van grabbing Fiona's hand and running the other direction. What met him though were more men. Van then did the only thing he could think of and jumped into the bushes hoping that it would stall the men for a little while.

The two of them ran for a few minutes but something was bugging Van. When he listened for the sounds of the gang running after the two of them, he heard nothing but the sounds of their own feet. It was like they weren't even following them. 'What is going on? I thought for sure that they would have ended up following after us,' thought Van a little confused.

He was so lost in thought wondering about the reason why they weren't following that he almost didn't notice the attack that came at him from his side. He did notice at the last second and dodged it just in time without taking any damage. Van quickly looked around looking for the source of the attack. He pushed Fiona behind him in order to keep her safe from any harm.

It was then that a man came out of the bushes. "Those guys did their job right and led you right to me," said the man with a sneer on his face. He had so short of hair that he looked bald and with what they could see he had black hair. He pretty much towered over Van by at least a foot and stared at Van with icy blue eyes.

Van immediately recognized him ' It has to be that man that I saw for a short period when that soldier that we caught was shot. I could recognize him anywhere,' thought Van as he prepared himself for a fight that was most likely going to happen. All that Van thought about doing though was getting himself and Fiona out of there as fast as he could. "Who are you and what do you want," said an angry Van backing away slowly from the man trying to get a little distance so that the sword wouldn't be as effective.

"You haven't figured out what we want yet. I thought the great Van Flyheight would have found that little detail out a long time ago," said the man with a laugh as he looked at Van then to Fiona and then back to Van. "You are pathetic because of that. The name is Ryan, and what I want is for you to hand over the zoidian girl and then maybe I won't have to use force," said Ryan with a grin hoping that Van would refuse like he was more than likely going to do anyways.

Van immediately pushed Fiona behind him to protect her. He took up a defensive stance. Van wished now more than anything that he had either Zeke or his fathers dagger with him to give him a bit more protection than just using his bare fist against the long sword.

"Why are you protecting it?" asked Ryan as he took a few steps forward only to have them back up a little more. "Just hand it over now or you will lose your life," said Ryan planning on taking Van's life anyways so that he wouldn't be such a nuisance in their affairs like he had been for both Hiltz and Prozen. 'I am not going to make the same mistake as those two. They pretty much helped him by making him even stronger. That was the mistake that ended up costing the two of them their lives,' thought Ryan with a growl as he looked at Van.

"She is not an it, and she is my friend so I would never hand her over to the likes of you," yelled Van getting very annoyed with how this huge man was making fun of Fiona by calling her an it instead of by her real name. 'Now we know what it is that they have been after from us and from raven as well. They are after Fiona and Reese,' thought Van as he tensed up a little.

"I am sure that it is only a bother to you so I can take it off of you. I will use force if I need to so you might as well hand her over if you value your life. I wouldn't mind killing you both now but I don't think he would concur with it soI can't. It is not like us normal humans, it isn't like it will even make some sort of difference in this world," said Ryan as he reached out preparing to grab Fiona at the first chance that he could get.

"Fiona get out of here! Get away so that he can't get you," said Van as he pushed Fiona away and grabbed onto Ryan so that he wouldn't be able to get to Fiona but Van was easily thrown off by the mans great strength.

Fiona tried to run but Ryan was faster then her and stopped her by grabbing onto her wrist and pulling her towards him. "You are not going anywhere except for with me to my boss," said Ryan with a grin but Fiona bit his hand. He let go and she stumbled to the ground and was unable to move from there. "So be it," growled Ryan as he pulled out a sword that he had hidden in order to try to hurt Fiona enough so that she couldn't run or fight. 'Zack didn't say that he needed her in one piece,' thought Ryan with a grin. As he swung the sword Van shoved Fiona out of the way and moved just enough so that the sword only sliced the front of his shirt.

"Van," said Fiona rushing to Van's side as he sat in a kneeling on the ground lightly touching the tear in his shirt. "Are you ok Van?" asked Fiona with the worry clearly present in her voice.

"I'm ok. It is only a scratch," said Van as he got to his feet but held onto his side. He wobbled a little being thrown a little off balance by trying to avoid the attack the best that he could. Van immediately got into another defensive stance and prepared to take another hit in order to get Fiona away from that place.

"Trying to protect it is pointless," said Ryan as he prepared for another attacks hoping to see the sword straight through Van. 'The look of blood is so enticing,' thought Ryan with a smirk on his face. He made the mistake of looking away for a second and the next thing he saw though was when Van kicked him hard in the face and then ran he off with Fiona as fast as they could. By the time Ryan was able to pull himself together they were long gone. "Zack isn't going to be happy about this," he said to himself as he looked in the direction that the ran.

He immediately took off at a sprint in hope of catching up with them but by the time he did they were already in Van's blade liger and running at full speed back to the base. Ryan just stared with his cold unflinching eyes knowing that it wouldn't be the last time that they would see each other. 'Next time I will make sure that I slice him in half. They are definitely going to be more defensive with the zoidian but it is nothing that I can't handle,' thought Ryan with a smirk.

"Van are you sure that you are ok," said Fiona from the back seat of the blade liger. She noticed that Van's breathing was a little ragged but he had told her that it was just from all of the running that they had just done. She couldn't help but worry for him at that moment.

"Yeah, I told you he only scratched me," said Van trying not to worry Fiona but the truth was that all the running had opened the originally small wound a little more. 'I am not going to make Fiona worry about me. I will get some medical attention but only when I am sure that she is safe,' thought Van as he grimaced in a little pain. He looked at Fiona's worried face and gave her a smile to try and reassure her.

It was pretty late by the time that they got back to the base and hardly anyone was up. "Van I am sorry," said Fiona as she suddenly stopped in the middle of the hall and she looked at the ground.

"For what Fiona? You haven't done anything wrong at all tonight. He was the one that caused all of this to happen," asked Van very confused at how Fiona could just blame herself for a situation that was completely out of her control.

"They were after me all this time, and all that happened tonight was because they were after me. They ruined our time out because of me," said Fiona feeling the guilt start to overcome her.

"Don't worry about it so much Fiona. It was not your fault. So please don't blame yourself over something that you couldn't control," said Van a bit weakly as they walked through the halls towards their rooms.

Fiona could tell that something was wrong now when his voice seemed to drop a few levels. She was right too because a few feet from her door Van just collapsed. "Van!" yelled Fiona grabbing a hold of him to soften his fall. When she grabbed him though she felt her hand get wet. When she looked at it she saw red blood, Van's blood. "Van, no. Wake up, please wake up," said Fiona as she shook him to try and wake him up but he was not responding. Van didn't respond to any of this. "No this can't be happening," said Fiona as she rushed Van as fast as she could to get him some help.


	4. dreams

He didn't know what was going on, all was dark around him and he couldn't see the hand that was in front of his face. He seemed to be floating in some type of liquid. "What is this? Where am I?" was a thought that went through Van's head at that moment. He had no idea about what was going on. He racked his mind for possible answers but only one seemed to come out.  
  
'Isn't it obvious what happened to you?' came another voice. The voice sounded remarkably like Van's but Van knew that it wasn't possible because he was right there and nowhere else.  
  
"Am I dead? Is that what happened?" Van asked although he was very fearful from the answer. Mental images popped up into his head of Fiona crying by his still form on a bed. "Fiona," said Van quietly. All he could do was watch her and not try to comfort her. It was tearing him apart to see her like that. It made it worse that he couldn't help her at that moment..  
  
'No, you are not dead yet. Right now you have a much more important job to do but you are not ready for it yet. When the time comes you will know when it is that the time is right for you to return to your body,' said the voice as it echoed all around the area that Van was in.  
  
"What is it that I have to do?" asked Van as he looked around the dark place trying to find the source of the voice but he was having no such luck in finding any sign of whoever it was.  
  
'You know what it is that you are waiting for,' said the voice as a bright flash of light surrounded him. it lit the room up but there was absolutely no one in the room as far as Van could see.  
  
"No I don't, please tell me what it is that I have to do?" yelled Van before he was engulfed in this light. It seemed to blind his eyes as everything went out of focus. "What is it that I have to do?" yelled Van as he struggled to get out of the strange field that was trying to engulf him. Van had a strange feeling that it was death that was following him. He broke free from the light at that moment and landed in the darkness once more. Light was always good but Van had a feeling that in the circumstance it was a bad thing to get used to. "I am not going to let myself die. I am going to get back," yelled Van to whoever it was that he was talking to.  
  
'That is what I wanted to hear. There is something very important that you must protect and something even more important that you must love with all of you heart,' said the voice. Knowing that Van knew what he was talking about now.  
  
"Fiona," said Van as if realization had hit him hard. 'No that can't be, I don't love Fiona, or do I?' Van asked himself as he tried to find what it was that compelled himself to think of Fiona for that reason at the moment. "Do I, or don't I?" Van asked himself as he floated within the darkness.  
  
'That is up to you to find out. Your decision will affect things much more than you think. So you should think things through very carefully on how you are going to decide how you feel,' said the voice in an eerie way.  
  
Van was completely confused about what the strange voice meant. "What do you mean by that?" asked Van but the voice didn't respond. It appeared that it was no longer even around. 'What was it talking about, and why is it so important for me to be able know my feeling?" Van asked himself. He looked around to take in his surrounding but there was nothing in the room.  
  
'Tell me Van, what is it that you feel for Fiona?' came the voice once again startling Van greatly as he once again looked around for the voice. 'It is no use looking for me. In this world I am everywhere, yet at the same time I am nowhere. Take some time to think over my question,' said the voice as it once again disappeared.  
  
*****  
  
Fiona sat beside Van making little noise and just staring at his calm face. She could not believe that this had happened to him of all people just because he wanted to protect her. "Why did this have to happen?" Fiona asked herself looking at Van. "Please be ok Van. I don't know what I would do if I was to lose you," said Fiona as a lone tear fell down the said of her face and landed on the sheet next to Van's hand. Van had been like this for the past few days and has yet to be able to wake up.  
  
While Fiona sat by Van's side Moonbay, Irvine, and Thomas were watching her. "Fiona sure seems to be taking this hard. I have never seen her look that way before," said Irvine as he looked over Moonbay's shoulder to see Fiona and Van.  
  
"I have seen her look something like this but not nearly as bad. When you and Van went to fight the deathstinger, Fiona yelled out to Van telling that she always believed in him and then she collapsed in a fit of tears. It looked pretty bad. Then when he came back she was all happy again," said Thomas although he didn't really like the thought of how much Fiona loved Van.  
  
"Maybe someone should go and talk to her. If she keeps up the way that she is currently acting then she will more than likely get sick. She isn't eating or sleeping so that is always a good chance of happening," said Moonbay with worry for her friend..  
  
"I will go and talk to her," said Thomas with a smile as he was about to march into the room but Moonbay grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him back to his original position.  
  
"She doesn't need you pathetic attempts at trying to flirt with her," growled Moonbay in frustration since she knew that that was what Thomas would more than likely end up doing. "Why not let me talk to her, girl to girl. I am sure that that is what she needs most of all at this moment," said Moonbay with a smile as she stood in the doorway.  
  
"Fine, do whatever you want," grumbled Thomas as he sat against a wall and crossed his arms over his chest like a child refusing to do something or upset about not being given what he wanted..  
  
Moonbay walked into the room quietly and shut the door so that the other two couldn't listen in to their private conversation as well. 'They are more than likely going to try and listen in,' thought Moonbay with a shrug as she walked up to Fiona and stood right next to her. "Hey Fiona. How are you feeling?" asked Moonbay quietly as she placed a comforting hand upon the girls shoulder..  
  
"I'm fine. There is nothing to worry about," said Fiona in a tired voice, which proved that everything was not all right. It also didn't help that he head was drooping every five seconds. She was really tired but she didn't want to sleep because she was afraid that Van would wake up when she did and she wanted to see him when he woke up.  
  
"Why don't you go and get some rest? You look absolutely exhausted, so it would be for the best if you were to do this. You are doing him no good by just sitting here not eating or sleeping," said Moonbay trying to get to Fiona so that she would listen a lot easier.  
  
"I don't need to sleep. All I want to do right now is stay by Van's side until he wakes up. So please just drop the subject," said Fiona as her eyes closed slightly but she forced them open again.  
  
"Fiona you should listen to me. I know that you love him but you should really get some rest. You don't need to stay by his side at every moment of the day and I don't see why you would put yourself through the stress of doing that," said Moonbay really worrying about her friend.  
  
"It's all my fault that he is in the shape that he is in," said Fiona lowering her gaze to the floor. The guilt was overwhelming her at that moment that she felt she needed to stay by his side in order to get over it.  
  
"What do you mean by that?" asked Moonbay in a curious voice. She was fully aware of what had happened that night and she couldn't see in any way why Fiona would put all of the blame for it happening upon herself.  
  
"Van got hurt protecting me. It should be me that should be laying here but Van took the hit instead and now you see him as he is now. I can't stand seeing him get hurt because of me," said Fiona as more tears started to fall down her face.  
  
"He might be hurt just seeing how you are acting right now by not eating or sleeping," said Moonbay knowing that it would more than likely get to Fiona, "So why don't you go and get some sleep. I will keep an eye out and if he wakes up than I will immediately come and tell you," said Moonbay trying to make a bargain with Fiona. Fiona gave a small nod out of defeat and Moonbay helped Fiona stand up and she walked her out the door. They walked past the two males who as Moonbay had thought were listening in to the best of their ability on the conversation and walked towards Fiona's room.  
  
"You put way too much upon yourself sometimes. You should start to accept the truth behind things and stop blaming yourself. Van is a soldier and is bound to protect people with his life. He just works on protecting you more because he cares about you more than anyone else. He may not say it directly but it is easy to see it in his eyes," said Moonbay but she could tell that Fiona wasn't listening because she had fallen asleep. "At least you had an easy time getting to sleep, so sleep well and lets hope that Van is better by the time that you wake up," said Moonbay with a smile as she walked into Fiona's room and placed Fiona upon her bed.  
  
*****  
  
Fiona was having a dream and in it she saw things that she didn't want to, things that scared her half to death. There was that man Ryan with his sword in his hand. He was grinning at her and signaling for her to come to him.  
  
Fiona refused to come to him and took a few steps back out of fear of what he would do. He only got angry at her and charged at her preparing to use his sword. Fiona fell backwards and shut her eye's preparing for the sword to kill her but it never came. She never felt the piercing of the sword within her body.  
  
Fiona opened her eyes and saw that Van was in front of her with the sword going right through his stomach. Fiona tried to scream but no noise came out of her mouth. It didn't matter no matter how much she tried but she couldn't call out to him before Van ended up collapsing onto Fiona's lap with his blood getting all over her. Fiona still couldn't scream.  
  
Suddenly three more figures were surrounding her. There were two tall figures and a shorter one. She couldn't see their shadowed faces and coward back in fear. There was something about them that scared her and it wasn't from the fact that she couldn't see who they were.  
  
One of the faces stepped out of the shadows and it was someone Fiona hadn't seen before. Fiona found her voice and let off a scream as he pulled out a knife. The knife came down and was about to hit Fiona when...  
  
*****  
  
"Fiona! Wake up," yelled Moonbay upon seeing that her friend was having a nightmare. Fiona was screaming and yelling out something that was inaudible. She was shaking her hard trying to wake Fiona up. It was scaring Moonbay to see her friend in such a state as that. It was like she was in pain and scared at something at the exact same time.  
  
Fiona's eyes shot open and she quickly sat up within her bed. Fiona found that she was covered in sweat and was breathing very hard and very fast. The next thing that she noticed was that everything was blurry and she felt very dizzy. She fell back down to the bed feeling very cold yet at the same times she felt very warm.  
  
"Thomas you need to go and get a doctor as fast as possible," said Moonbay seeing Thomas standing in the doorway with a fear stricken face. "Fiona has a high fever and needs some help. So would you please quit standing there and go get a doctor like I told you to," yelled Moonbay quickly losing her patience with Thomas since he was just standing in the exact same spot. "Go!" yelled Moonbay at the top of her lungs, which startled him enough to get him going again.  
  
"R-r-r-r-right," stuttered Thomas as he backed away from the doorway. After a few times of tripping up, he was able to get going and run down the halls before Fiona got worse or Moonbay strangled him for stalling out of shock.  
  
Things seemed to get worse Fiona and she seemed to be slipping away from consciousness as the room continued to spin all around her. Her throat was becoming very sore because she now had a hacking cough that didn't seem to be letting up  
  
"Hang on Fiona. A doctor is coming so just try to remain conscious until he gets here," said Moonbay in a worried tone as Fiona's eyes closed and she slowly slipped out of consciousness once again.  
  
*****  
  
"Will she be alright Doc?" Moonbay asked the doctor when he started to pack up his things after he took a good look over Fiona. Moonbay already knew that the cause was from Fiona staying up all night and not eating a single thing since Van fell into his coma but she needed to know if Fiona would be all right.  
  
"She appears to have a high fever. She should be fine within a few days. As long as she rests up a bit. You may need to keep an eye on her just to make sure that she does that if what you said is actually the cause for all of this," said the doctor as he looked to the bed next to Fiona's that happened to contain Van since Moonbay brought Fiona to that room.  
  
"Thank you for everything. I will make sure that she gets plenty of rest," said Moonbay looking upon her unconscious friends and then back to the doctor who gave a slight bow before he exited the room.  
  
"Things sure have been chaotic lately First Van gets hurt and is put into the state that he is currently in and then Fiona goes and gets herself hurt out of worry for his well-being," said Irvine once the doctor had left the room.  
  
"I know what you mean. Van gets hurt protecting Fiona and Fiona gets hurt looking after Van. It is amazing how much the two of them love each other yet will not say a thing of it to the other," said Moonbay with a shake of her head.  
  
"When they wake up I will personally make sure that they get together so that all this could just calm down a little because all of this craziness is really starting to get on my nerves," said Irvine as he sat in a chair looking up at the ceiling. "Why do you think it is that the two of them have such a hard time in telling the other about how they feel for each other?" asked Irvine looking at Moonbay.  
  
"Fiona is just too shy and is afraid of what Van's response to her confession will be and Van is just too dense to see what he wants wanting to have him as well. It is an endless cycle that can get upon a persons nerves very quickly," said Moonbay as she rubbed her forehead. 'I guess I am just like Fiona in a way,' thought Moonbay taking a quick look at Irvine.  
  
*****  
  
Van felt that something was very wrong at that moment so he tried to wake up but for some reason no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to wake up. "Damnit," growled Van as he sat in the darkness that he had become accustomed to.  
  
'I thought that I told you that it is no use trying to wake up,' came that voice in his head again. That earned a growl from Van because Van was getting annoyed at how the voice was being so secretive around him  
  
"Who are you?" asked Van as he looked around although he knew that he wouldn't find anything. He hated being alone in this place with only the strange voice around him yet it was not telling him anything useful.  
  
'I am you or a bit more precisely your mind,' said the voice with a hint of amusement in it. "I know all about what is going on and I am your only way out of this place," said the voice in a calm tone.  
  
"Then why can't I wake up? I want to go back to my friends and to..." said Van but he then realized what he was about to say and it shocked him to realize what was going through his head. "Fiona," said Van in a quiet voice as he starred at where a floor should have been if he wasn't in this strange place.  
  
'I am glad to hear that, but I have my reasons as to why I can't let you out at this moment. In the end though I am sure that you will thank me for putting you through this,' said the voice.  
  
"Do you know what is going on exactly then?" Van asked trying to take advantage of this moment to find out a few things about why he was here and why he couldn't leave even if he knew that his mind wasn't going to let up some of that information very easily.  
  
'I know just as much as you do. So it is pointless to ask. If you dig deep within yourself then you should be able to find out the answers on you own,' said the voice as it echoed all around the area.  
  
"I want to know what is going on right now," said Van growing more and more annoyed by the second with each non-answered questions that he was giving out. "Please just tell me," begged Van wanting to get out of that place as soon as possible.  
  
'You will know what my intents are at some point, but you have to wait until that time comes. This shouldn't be taken so lightly, your future is what really depends on you to think about the meaning of why you are here,' said the voice before it disappeared once again leaving Van by himself..  
  
*****  
  
Moonbay was putting a wet towel on Fiona to try and cool her down. "Poor Fiona she did this to herself pretty much. She should have eaten more and got some sleep and all of this could have been avoided," said Moonbay in a sad and regretful tone thinking she should have made Fiona go to sleep and eat something much earlier than when she did. 'Maybe then this could have been avoided as well,' thought Moonbay sadly.  
  
"She blames herself for what happened to Van. I don't think that though," said Thomas, "Van was only protecting her from someone out to kill her. It is him who I blame," said Thomas who didn't want to think of anyone else being blamed for what happened to his beloved Fiona.  
  
"I disagree because he did the right thing in trying to protect her. Fiona doesn't like how he got hurt protecting her when she feels she should have been the one to take the blow instead of Van," said Moonbay as she took off the wet cloth and then dipped in into the water again before she placed it back on.  
  
"It doesn't matter if she doesn't like it because Van will most likely keep on protecting her until one of them dies," said Irvine knowing that that it was very true since he knew that they cared for each other that deeply.  
  
"Let's just hope it ends up being old age rather than one dying because of a problem that the other is having. If one was to die then I wouldn't be surprised if the other one killed themselves just to be with the other," said Moonbay thinking of all the scenarios that could do that to one of the two..  
  
"I agree but I highly doubt that the other one would go that far," said Irvine as he laid back in his seat putting his feet up on another one of the seats that was close to him. "It is always a possibility though," said Irvine reluctantly.  
  
*****  
  
"What exactly are we waiting for? It is getting extremely boring here and I want to get out of here and go back to my friends," said Van as he yelled throughout the large area of blackness. He really wanted his questions answer but he was not getting any response from the strange voice so far, but this time it was different.  
  
'We are waiting for a sign for a sign like I have told you the past tree hundred times,' said the voice only earning a growl from an annoyed Van. 'You aren't even ready yet to go back into the outside world. What I have to give to you is a power far greater than anything you have ever felt. All you really need to do is be patient and listen,' the voice said  
  
Suddenly Van started to hear voices when he did exactly like the voice had told him to. "What is that? What is it that I am hearing right now?" asked Van as he listened carefully to what it was that was echoing throughout the place.  
  
'It is your friends idiot. I am surprised that you were able to realize that in the first place,' said the voice with a hint of amusement. He then realized a mistake with what he said because if he was to calm Van stupid then he would be calling himself stupid but he decided to not say anything because he was sure that Van didn't realize that.  
  
"But where is Fiona's voice? I can hear Moonbay's, Irvine's, and Thomas's voice but Fiona voice seems to be absent," said Van a little worried because Fiona was almost always around when Van was.  
  
"She is currently sick and is unconscious with a very high fever. She will be all right but she needs a lot of rest and is currently sleeping I the bed that is right next to yours,' said the voice as a picture quickly shot up and the went down but Van could see what it was and it worried him.  
  
"Oh no, Fiona. She seemed just fine when I feel unconscious so how did this happen to her? Please, I must know what happened," yelled Van with a very worried expression on his face.  
  
'You should be worried because she became sick by staying at your side since you first came into your current state. She didn't eat or sleep. She only wanted to stay at your side until you woke up,' said the voice as if it was an easy thing to say but it wasn't. 'You have to admit her devotion is admirable. I guess that is why we like her so much,' said the voice in a kind tone.  
  
Suddenly an image appeared of Fiona a few feet in front of Van and he stared at it with an expression on his face that he had never shown before, it was one of genuine love even though he didn't admit it to himself.  
  
'The problem is that you never bothered to do anything. There are so many things that could happen because of that,' said the voice as Van took a few steps towards the image. He was about to touch it when it disappeared. 'This is what will happen if you don't try anything,' said the voice with no sarcasm but a voice filled with worry and caring. 'She might leave your life forever,' said the voice but this time it was very quiet almost like the voice was afraid to say it.  
  
Van just stood still with his hand still in the air in the area where the image of Fiona once stood. His heart was slowly registering what his mind had been talking to him about for so long. The fear of losing Fiona was starting to make him hurt on the inside and Van couldn't make it go away. 'Could it be that I do love Fiona?' Van asked himself as he slowly retracted his hand away from where Fiona's image once stood.  
  
'Do you see it yet? Do you feel it yet?' asked the voice is so solemn a tone that it startled Van slightly because in all the time that Van had been here he had never heard the voice talk in such a way.  
  
"I-I'm not sure," stuttered Van in utter shock, which was so unlike him. Van usually felt pretty confident in his decisions that he didn't really doubt himself a whole lot but this time it was different. He didn't know what to think because he was so confused with his feelings  
  
*****  
  
"How are the two of them doing today?" asked Irvine walking in with a cup of coffee in his hands. He took a look around and realized that his question was a really stupid one. Yet it didn't really stop Moonbay from answering his question anyways.  
  
"Neither has woken up and Fiona's fever has gone down but it is still pretty high. It will probably still be a while before any of them wake up," said Moonbay in a sad and depressed tone and through tired eyes.  
  
"Ok, I'll take over now. You go get something to eat and get some rest. We don't need you to turn out like these two," said Irvine pointing at the beds holding both Van and Fiona.  
  
"Thanks, I could definitely use the sleep," said Moonbay with a yawn and then she stood up and started to leave. Just before she left she took one look at both of her friends and frowned. She saw that Van was very still without the slightest movements but Fiona seemed a little uneasy. 'I hope they get better,' thought Moonbay sadly before she walked out of the door before Irvine took the seat that she had been sitting in only a few moments before.  
  
*****  
  
It was the same dream again for Fiona, the exact same terrifying dreams that woke her up that night that she became sick. He was there again with his fingers that were indicating for her to come to him but Fiona was frozen in her spot. He got angry and placed the sword into his hand and he readied himself to strike. He jumped forward with Fiona too afraid to move but yet again Van jumped in the way like last time.  
  
"No Van don't," said Fiona trying to move him out of the way but her hand only went right through him. She saw as he was once again stabbed and fell limply into her arms, which were now able to touch him. "Van, Van. Please don't die, you can't die" said Fiona as more and more tears continued to fall down her face. She held onto his cold hands, as all life seemed to be draining out of him.  
  
"Fi...o...na," said Van weakly as he reached up and carefully touched Fiona's face. There were a few more words that he spoke but Fiona was unable to hear them for some reason. She had no idea what he had said but after he said it he went limp, his hand falling to the ground, and he took a last breath before he ceased to move.  
  
"No, no, no, no. This can't be happening," repeated Fiona being unable to believe what she was seeing once again. Tear ran down her face as she just stared at his still form more afraid than she had ever been in her life.  
  
That other man once again took his place in front of Fiona again and pulled out the very shape knife. He prepared to strike with a smirk on his face. He raised the dagger above his head and then brought it down at full speed towards Fiona.  
  
*****  
  
Fiona's eyes shot open before it hit her and she found herself in a bed with Irvine leaning back in a chair with his feet on the table. Then she saw Van in the bed next to her in the same way he was the last time she saw him. 'It was all just a dream, a dream,' Fiona repeated to herself in her mind as a cold sweat on her face. 'Why do I keep having that dream?' Fiona asked herself.  
  
Irvine immediately noticed when Fiona woke up but he also noticed the scared look cross her face and she it made him curious as to what was the cause of it but he decided to not bring it up unless Fiona felt like talking about it. "I see that you finally decided to wake up. How are you feeling Fiona?" asked Irvine not leaving the position that he was in.  
  
"Much better, thank you for asking," said Fiona putting a fake smile on her face so as to not alarm her friend. A headache suddenly struck Fiona and she felt dizzy for a few seconds before she managed to pull herself together and shake off the headache for at least a few moments.  
  
Irvine saw her little dizzy spell and immediately assumed that it was from not eating all of these days. "It is good to see that you are awake. It would be a good idea if you go get something to eat or you will end up feeling worse once again and I am sure that that is something that nobody once to see again. You gave us all quite a scare when it happened," said Irvine in a brotherly tone.  
  
Fiona took one look at Van and decided that that might be for the best because she didn't want van to see her in such a poor condition like she was last time. She attempted to get up to go and eat something but fell down because of a tremendous headache that she had suddenly came back full force. She laid down with her head on the pillow because it helped to sooth her headache a lot.  
  
"Never mind, you shouldn't push yourself too much right now. I will go and get you something and be right back," said Irvine as he got out of his chair and left the room with a smile on his face. "Oh, by the way, what is it that you want to eat?" asked Irvine quickly taking a look back into the room.  
  
"Just get me what sounds good there," Fiona whispered in a tired voice. "Thank you Irvine," said Fiona looking at him to see him give a slight nod before he walked away and left Fiona alone. She then took a long look at Van hoping that he would wake up soon before she closed her eyes to get a short rest while Irvine got her something to eat. 


	5. feelings

"Van, please wake up. The longer that I see you in this state, them more I think I am going to lose you. That is something that I really don't want to happen so will you please just wake up," whispered Fiona sitting by his bed only this time she did take some breaks, not many but a few and they were always short. She reached out a hand and lightly brushed her hand across Van's cheek.  
  
"Is there any change?" asked Moonbay as she walked up behind Fiona carrying a blanket. "Here, take this. You will need it since I don't think you will want to go anywhere, but try and not overdo things like you did last time," said Moonbay as she unfolded the blanket and threw it over Fiona's shoulder. Moonbay then walked next to Moonbay and took a seat.  
  
"No, he is the same way he has been for the past few days," said Fiona, "Why won't he wake up Moonbay? I mean he wasn't hit in the head. He shouldn't be this way," said Fiona as tears threatened to flow down her face, yet Fiona forced them back because she didn't want to be weak when she felt that Van needed her the most.  
  
"The cut that he got might have been small at first Fiona, but with all the running and movement that you two did, it just forced it open more. It is most likely from the loss of blood that he is the way that he is. Just give him a little time and I am sure that he will get back to full strength," said Moonbay placing a comforting hand on Fiona's shoulder.  
  
"I just wish that he would wake up," said Fiona taking her hand and lightly brushing it against Van's cheek once again as she laid her head down. "What if he doesn't wake up Moonbay? What if he remains like this for the rest of his life?" asked Fiona kicking herself mentally for being so negative about Van's strength.  
  
"You really shouldn't be thinking like that. Van is very strong. I am sure that it is only a matter of time before he finally wakes up. When that happens, you two should really talk, it might be able to settle some of the negative thoughts that you have been having," said Moonbay as she stood up and slowly walked towards the door. Moonbay stopped as she reached the door. "Whether or not you believe this is not my choice, but you should know that Van cares for you greatly, more than he does for the rest of us. He wouldn't want to see you being so negative about all of this," said Moonbay before she walked out of the room and once again leaving Fiona alone to her thoughts. 'He doesn't just care for you Fiona, he loves you whether he may realize it or not,' thought Moonbay before she started to walk down the hall.  
  
*****  
  
"Does Fiona really feel that strongly for me?" asked Van when he somehow heard a small amount of the conversation that had just gone on between Moonbay and Fiona. However, he wasn't able to hear all of it so some of the parts were a bit of a blank.  
  
'What? You just noticed this. Fiona is always around us and gives us the most attention out of any of our friends. How could you have not noticed this before?' asked the voice to the quiet Van  
  
"She really doesn't say too much on how she feels. She is usually very quiet and sometimes a bit withdrawn. Even if she does care for me, it doesn't exactly tell me how deep it is that her feeling for me really are," said Van after a moment of thinking to himself.  
  
'What about all the signs she has unknowingly given you. You can't tell me you never really noticed those. What about the time that you went to face the deathstinger and you barely got back before she basically threw herself on you. She didn't say hello, to you or Irvine but she went straight for you,' said the voice trying to convince the very dense Van.  
  
"I knew that she cares for me but I never really knew how much and I still don't. I wish that I would talk to her but as long as I am stuck here that isn't really an option," said Van in a disappointed tone.  
  
'You just never even bothered to realize it. Sometimes you were too into your job with the guardian force to give her the time of day to say some of the things that she most likely wants to say,' said the voice quietly.  
  
"I guess that is correct. I really should have paid more attention to her," said Van burying his face within his hands. "Sometimes I just threw her off like it didn't really matter because I became so obsessed with doing something like fighting Raven. I feel so bad about it now that I think of it," said Van as he laid back and stared upwards.  
  
'The question that I am sure that we both want to know is what you are going to do now? Another question for you is do we love Fiona, or just think of her as a mere friend?' asked the voice waiting for van to reply.  
  
"I care for Fiona greatly. That is why I put myself in danger for her, that is why I am currently here having a very strange discussion with my own mind," said Van with a slight laugh although he really didn't find it to be all that funny.  
  
'Do you know yet what is your choice going to be when it comes to Fiona?' asked the voice already knowing the answer that was going to come but he needed to hear it comes out of Van's mouth  
  
"I-I guess I do. I do love Fiona," said Van a little startled to hear it come out of his mouth yet at the same time it brought about a type of easiness to have said it that it was like nothing else matter at that moment. 'I love her. Wow, I never would have thought that I would say that,' Van thought to himself with a small smile on his face.  
  
'That is what I thought, and I am glad to hear it,' said the voice in a happy tone. Suddenly a bright light showed up again and surrounded Van. It blinded him and he could no longer see anything around him, not like he couldn't see anything as it was because the place had been completely dark since he first appeared there.  
  
*****  
  
Fiona felt herself growing tired. She had sat by Van's bed the whole day since she woke up that morning and she planned on staying there until he woke up from his very deep sleep. Although his wounds had long since healed, Van remained in a comatose state and there didn't appear to be any sign that he was going to wake up soon. "I am so sorry that this happened to you Van. I would do anything for you to get better. So please get better as soon as you can," said Fiona in a whisper as she carefully moved a piece of hair that had fallen into his face.  
  
Fiona let out a loud and deep yawn meaning that she was growing tired because by that moment it was just about nighttime. She felt herself growing very tired and she was prepared to go to bed when she heard something coming from Van. It started out as a strange noise coming out of his throat but soon Fiona knew that he was muttering something. "Van, are you awake?" asked Fiona, as she got closer to hear what he was saying.  
  
She then heard him mutter in such a soft tone that it would have been hard to hear if she had not been so close to him at that moment, "Fiona," Van muttered very weakly as his face scrunched up a bit. It didn't look like he was in pain but there was another look, it looked a little fearful.  
  
Fiona didn't know if he might have been muttering in his sleep or if he could have woken up and was saying those things but he was asking for her and she planned to help with whatever he needed at that moment. Fiona took his hand in hers and held it there. "Van, Van are you awake?" asked Fiona as she watched him closely he made no movements to show that he heard her but all he did was keep muttering more things that she couldn't hear at that moment, "Hold on Van, I will go and get someone and then I will be right back," said Fiona hoping that he had finally woken up.  
  
Fiona stood up intending on getting a doctor but the grip on her hand grew a little bit tighter. She then heard him muttering, "Please don't go Fiona," he muttered as he gripped her hand even harder meaning that there was no way that she could get away because she couldn't escape his grip.  
  
Fiona couldn't help but feel a tear fall down her face. "Don't worry, I am right here Van. I won't leave here until you have woken up," said Fiona, as she got comfortable again and continued to watch his now peaceful face.  
  
*****  
  
Moonbay came into the room after a while to make sure that Fiona wouldn't end up getting herself sick again. What she saw when she entered the room made her smile though. What she saw was that Fiona had fallen asleep in the seat with her head on the bed with her hand tightly gripped around his. 'How cute,' Moonbay thought with a smile before she turned around prepared to leave.  
  
Moonbay left the room and came back a minute later carrying a large wool blanket, which she carefully wrapped around Fiona to keep her warm and comfortable. 'Rest Fiona, you definitely need it,' thought Moonbay before she walked out of the room once again.  
  
*****  
  
Fiona found herself once again in the same room that she had in her past two dreams. "No, Not this again," Fiona muttered to herself although she did admit that it was still making her a bit scared. She tried to shut her eyes so that she wouldn't have to watch but her eyes continued to remain open forcing her to watch the scene before her.  
  
There he was again preparing to attack her but Van once again jumped in the way to save her life again taking the hit for her. Fiona bit back the scream that threatened to erupt from her throat and ran to where Van was falling to the ground,  
  
"No, this is a dream. This has to be a dream, that is right just a dream," said Fiona as she fell to the ground with the bleeding Van in her arms. She forced herself to believe this but she had a feeling in her gut that told her that she was wrong, yet she tried her best to ignore it.  
  
Suddenly everything went dark and she found herself in the middle of it. Van disappeared from within her arms and she looked around for the source of the strange change in her nightmare. "This is new," said Fiona a little scared about what was going to happen to herself next.  
  
Suddenly a mirror image of herself showed up in front of Fiona. "You are wrong, this is not a dream," said the image as its identical blonde hair blew within a small breeze that was blowing within her mind. The eyes that Fiona knew as her own looked at Fiona with an unflinching stare as the two could merely look at each other, yet no words could be spoken.  
  
"Yes I am, and when I wake up all this will be just a dream," said Fiona suddenly being able to find her voice again. She continued to deny what she knew her mind was well aware of. It didn't mean that she couldn't try though.  
  
"This is not a dream. This is in fact more of the future. Van will continue to protect you like he did in that park and he will suffer because of it," said the image with an emotionless face, "He will end up dying because of you," said the image trying hard not to show any emotions.  
  
"Van has protected me many times and he has yet to be killed. So there is no possible way that he is going to get killed," creamed Fiona clutching her hands over her ears not really wanting to listen to what her mirror self had to say..  
  
"He will end up being killed and you need to realize that before it is too late to possibly save him. So for once why don't you try to protect him," said the image. It made sense to Fiona but she still didn't like what she was hearing. "Please, we love him, so we need to be the ones to protect him from what is to come," said the mirror Fiona before the image faded away.  
  
*****  
  
Fiona bolted upright from the position she was in. 'She is right I can't keep putting Van in danger like this or else he will die trying to protect me,' thought Fiona, 'I just can't put him through that,' thought Fiona as a tear rolled down her face. Fiona felt something though and it caught the tear when it was on her face. She looked up to see Van staring at her. "Van, y-y-y-you're a-awake," stuttered Fiona with tears running down her face as she gave Van a tight hug.  
  
"Yeah, I woke up when you were asleep Fiona. You were resting so peacefully that I didn't feel I had to wake you up. Plus you looked very tired that it would be a shame to not let you continue to rest," said Van with a small smile as he looked at the woman that he loved, "What's wrong Fiona? You don't look too good," said Van with worry laced throughout his voice.  
  
"Van, I am sorry. I am so sorry for putting you through all of this," said Fiona as she wrapped her arms around Van and cried into his shirt to rid herself of all the despair that she had been feeling over the past few weeks.  
  
"Don't be sorry Fiona. You don't have to say something that you are not responsible for," said Van a little confused but he held Fiona a little tighter to him so that he could feel her warmth and smell her beautiful scent.  
  
"But you were hurt because of me. I am responsible for having them come and hurt you," said Fiona as she backed away from Van's embrace while looking at the ground. A few tears came down the side of her face and she just couldn't control herself.  
  
"I wasn't hurt because of you, I was hurt because of them. You may have been their target but you shouldn't blame yourself for it," said Van not understanding how Fiona could continue to put all of the blame upon herself, "You had nothing to worry about. I will continue to protect you from them," said Van as he tried to take a step towards Fiona but she had a look of fear upon her face that stopped him in his tracks.  
  
When Van said this Fiona remembered the part of her dream where Van was stabbed through the stomach. This just caused Fiona to break down in tears and run out of the room as fast as she could before Van had a chance to stop her.  
  
"Fiona, wait," yelled Van after her. She didn't stop so he carefully got out of the bed and was amazed that all of his wounds were already completely healed. He immediately walked after Fiona as fast as he could.  
  
Fiona just ran down all of the halls as fast as she could. 'I can't put Van through it. I can't stay around him having him put his life in danger just to protect me,' thought Fiona, 'I am going to leave. That way he won't be able to put himself in danger protecting me,' thought Fiona.  
  
She ran into her room and started to collect some things that she felt she would need. She felt like she was ready when a voice from the door startled her. She knew who it was so she didn't turn around or say anything to Van  
  
"Going somewhere?" asked Van in a soft tone so as to not startle Fiona. Van couldn't understand why she was not accepting his help. He knew that something was wrong yet wasn't sure because of the fact that Fiona was trying her best to not talk about it. Now he found her packing things up like she was going away.  
  
Fiona didn't look at him as he walked into the room. "You should be in bed resting Van," said Fiona her eyes downcast and hidden behind a few strands of her hair. 'How can I face him with what I am about to do?' Fiona asked herself as she kept her back towards him.  
  
"You haven't answered me Fiona," said Van in a serious tone, as he stepped up right behind her nervous form. He noticed her twitch slight but he continued to talk to her. "Are you going somewhere Fiona?" asked Van as his voice softened and he placed a hand on her shaking shoulders.  
  
"I have to do this Van. So please don't try and stop me," said Fiona with a tear running down her face. She was using all of her self-control at that moment to not blurt out all that was on her mind but she knew that Van wouldn't be able to help her even if her knew.  
  
"You can't just run away from your problems Fiona. I want to be able to help you, so will you please just tell me what is going on?" said Van to Fiona who was still facing away from him and by the looks of it she was intentionally doing that so as to not show him what it was that she was feeling at that moment.  
  
"Van, you don't understand anything about this," said Fiona finally turning around looking at Van. However once she did she regretted turning around. She saw the look of hurt on Van face when he saw what she was doing. Her heart clenched inside of her chest but she tried to keep up a strong look.  
  
"You are right I don't understand because you won't tell me Fiona. Why is it that you won't tell me," said Van with a bit of anger rising in his voice. He tried his best not to yell or it will only make things even worse for the two of them.  
  
"There is a reason for that Van," said Fiona trying her best to stop more tears from falling by looking away from van but his hand caught her chin and he gently turned her head so she was looking up into his eyes. She saw an angered look within his eyes that she knew she couldn't escape from.  
  
"Then why won't you tell me Fiona," Van nearly yelled at her. He saw her get a little angry that he was not letting up on his question and before he knew it she shoved out of his grip and took a few steps back.  
  
"Because if you keep protecting me the way you have been, then you will be killed," Fiona yelled back before she realized what she said. Her hand went straight to her mouth but it was too late.  
  
*****  
  
Moonbay walked into the medical wing with intent on getting Fiona to go sleep in her room when she noticed that both Van and Fiona were gone. "Where could they have gone," Moonbay asked herself. "I bet that Fiona is glad that Van is finally awake," said Moonbay.  
  
She walked out of the room with intent on going to her room this time but as she past Fiona's room she noticed that the door was open and both Van and Fiona were standing very quietly inside. 'Those two need some time alone,' thought Moonbay as she quietly shut the door before the two noticed that she was there.  
  
*****  
  
Van didn't know what to say. The silence had gone on for a few minutes. Fiona tried to walk by him attempting to leave but Van grabbed her arm before she had a chance to get far. "What did you mean by that," Van asked softly but in a tone of shock.  
  
"I can't tell you that Van," said Fiona in almost a whispered. The next thing that Fiona knew Van pulled her into a warm embrace. She struggled for a second and let off a small whimper when she could get out but part of her didn't want her to.  
  
"Fiona please I want to help you but I can't as long as you are acting like this. Please just tell," said Van softly as he held on tightly so she couldn't escape like she had last time.  
  
"Van please, please stop," begged Fiona trying to get out of his embrace but failing. She stopped struggling and fell deeper into his embrace, a mistake that she felt would cost her so much courage from the little amount she had left to try and do what she had originally planned to do.  
  
"You said I would be killed Fiona. For me though, should you leave it would be a fate worse than death. I just don't think that I would be able to that. So please don't do this," said Van as he buried his face within her lovely hair and inhaled her lovely scent.  
  
Fiona looked up into his eyes and saw all of the worry that he held for her. This just made her start crying once again. 'How am I going to be able to do this if my feeling for Van are constantly trying to interfere,' thought Fiona as she shook with suppressed tears.  
  
"Don't cry Fiona. Those tears don't look very good on you," said Van wiping away the tears that fell down the side of her face. His heart ached with every tear that fell down her face.  
  
Fiona once again looked into his eyes and the two just seemed to be locked in that position. Suddenly Van's head started to move towards Fiona's until his forehead touched hers and their mouths were only inches apart.  
  
Fiona couldn't help herself even though she knew it would only make things worse. The last of the distance was closed as they met in a passionate kiss. It only got more passionate and the next thing that they knew Van was lowering Fiona down onto the bed.  
  
*****  
  
It was now really late at night and Fiona found herself still awake even though she tried to get a little sleep. She had the dream again while she was sleeping and her fears once again took hold of her. 'No, this wasn't supposed to happen; I shouldn't have let it get that far. This will only make things even harder for us. Why did I have to let my emotions get the better of me?' Fiona asked herself. 'I really don't want Van to get hurt but now I don't know what to do after what just happened,' her thought continued.  
  
Fiona got out of the bed and got dressed. 'Van may think that losing me would be a fate worse than death, but I would lose my whole world if Van got killed,' thought Fiona as she looked over his calm features as he slept very peacefully.  
  
'I can't let this stop me from leaving. I am doing this for Van,' thought Fiona trying to reassure herself. She quickly wrote down a note for Van when he woke up. "Please forgive me for what I am about to do Van," whispered Fiona in the quietest voice that she could possibly use. She then walked out the door without looking back so that she wouldn't end up deciding to not leave and continue to put Van in danger.  
  
*****  
  
Thomas who was up late working on his dibison was a little confused when Fiona walked into the hanger. 'I wonder what she is doing up so late at night. I am not one to be talking but I had a reason to be up by working on the dibison,' thought Thomas as he watched Fiona walking towards the doors. He hopped down from the dibison and called out to Fiona. "What are you doing up this late miss Fiona?" asked Thomas.  
  
Fiona was taken by surprise that he was there and jumped when he called out to her but she tried to remain as calm as possible but it didn't help that she was scared that Van might wake up and would stop her before she could have a chance to get away. "I...I couldn't sleep. Nothing really big," said Fiona as calmly as she could. It wasn't really a lie because she couldn't due to all that had just gone on.  
  
"Would you like me to walk you back to your room? I was just about to head off to bed," said Thomas trying to be as nice as possible. He noticed Fiona fidget a little and got curious as to what she was so frightened a little at that mere comment.  
  
"No thank you," said Fiona quietly as her eyes skimmed the place expecting Van to suddenly pop out of nowhere and stop her from leaving, "I just want to be alone right now. I will be just fine though," said Fiona trying to give off a confident appearance but she felt that Thomas would catch on because he was supposed to be smart.  
  
"If you wish," said Thomas as he walked out of the hanger towards his room. Leaving a slightly shocked Fiona because she was pretty sure her nervous composure would give her away.  
  
'So much for smart,' thought Fiona laughing a little despite the situation she was currently having. When she was sure that he was gone she quickly tried to get away before anyone else could find her. She made a quick dash for the doors to the base but stopped very abruptly when a certain silver organoid lying on the ground just in front of her.  
  
Unfortunately Zeke woke up upon hearing her and he came to her side. He sensed that something was wrong with Fiona and tried to comfort her in ways only an organoid could. He sensed something but refrained from mentioning it to Fiona.  
  
Fiona gave off a small smile and patted him on his silver nose. "Please Zeke. Stay here with Van, will you? Protect him to the best of your ability because I am not going to be here to do this," said Fiona as she pulled away from his nose. Zeke seemed a little confused. "I am leaving but I want you to stay here with Van, and please don't tell him which way I went," said Fiona quietly as she took a step away from Zeke.  
  
Zeke didn't want to but he followed orders and watched as Fiona walked out of the base and away from the lives of all of the friends that she had made over the years, out of the life of the man she loved and had given herself to completely. She never looked back as she moved further away from the place not knowing where she was going to go or how she was going to get there by walking but she felt she had to at least try and she hoped that Van would eventually forgive her.  
  
'I love you with all my heart Van but even with what happened between the two of us I have to do this or else it will make it harder by postponing the inevitable,' thought Fiona sadly as the last traces of the base disappeared from her view and she walked into the dark unknown.  
  
*****  
  
When the morning came Van found himself alone. "Was it all just a dream," Van asked himself. 'If it was then it was the best dream of my life,' thought Van with a small smile. He looked around and saw that he was still in Fiona's room. "No it wasn't a dream. It actually happened but where is Fiona?" asked Van as his eyes skimmed the room yet he found no sign of her there except for all of her things.  
  
He got out of the bed and got dressed. He was about to walk out of the room when he noticed the note that Fiona had written for him that night. It was taped right to the door so it was very hard for him not to notice it.  
  
He pulled the note off the door and read it carefully. The more that he read it, the more he seemed to grow in despair, anger, sadness, and depression. When he was finished reading it he clenched the note in his hand and ran out of the room. He knew that he had to find Fiona soon or else she would be gone from his life.  
  
He ran as fast as he could until he saw the first person he could ask about it, which happened to be Moonbay. Van knew that If anyone knew where Fiona was it would have been Moonbay because the two were best friends. "Moonbay," yelled Van at the top of his lungs because she was turning down a further corridor from him. He noticed her stop and he caught up quickly.  
  
"Van it is good to see that you are better," said Moonbay with a small smile. Moonbay then saw the disturbed look upon Van's face and it worried her a little. "Is something wrong Van? You look a little troubled," said Moonbay as she looked into his face to try and get an explanation for it.  
  
"Whatever. Listen have you seen Fiona Moonbay?" asked Van with urgency in his voice. He was in no mood to just stand around at that moment so he just got straight down to the point.  
  
"No I haven't. In fact, I was looking for her to ask her something. I haven't seen her at all today which is unusual since she is usually one of the first people up. Why do you want to know where she is?" asked Moonbay suddenly figuring out that Fiona's disappearance must have been the problem.  
  
"I found this note from Fiona. It says that she is leaving," said Van showing Moonbay the crunched up note. His hand was shaking slightly but he did his best to try and keep as calm as possible but he felt like he was just going to end up collapsing out of fear that Fiona had actually left.  
  
"Let me see that," said Moonbay quickly taking the note out of shock and disbelief that Fiona would actually do something like that. She grabbed the note and then read over it very quickly but what she was seeing was not something that was very assuring to her.  
  
'Please Van I have to do this. I know how you said it is like a fate worse than death but it would be far worse for me than that if you were get killed. I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me but like I said I have to do this. Please don't follow after me. I am begging you not to,' that is what the note said.  
  
"Fiona left? How can that be possible. She never even spoke of leaving at all. She almost always seemed to want to stick to with you at all times. This showed when you were unconscious and she wouldn't leave you side for most of it. I can't believe that she would just leave," said Moonbay in an unbelieving voice.  
  
"That is the way it looks. I can't believe she would just do that when..." said Van but he quickly shut up before he gave away more information than he would have been comfortable with. He noticed Moonbay raise an eyebrow but he blushed and turned away very quickly. "I found her last night attempting to leave and I tried to stop her. I thought I might have managed to convince her to stay but I guess that I wasn't able to," said Van.  
  
"Are you going to go after her?" asked Moonbay as she looked at Van wanting to know what he was going to do and how it was going to affect the rest of them. She hoped that he would go after but she also wondered if it would be right for them to do that since she seemed pretty adamant about them not following her.  
  
Van thought about it for a minute and then said, "No. If she is going to come I want her to come back on her own. It wouldn't feel right for me to force her back here," said Van as his sight was cast downwards. 'Even if I do love her a lot,' thought Van with a depressed sigh.  
  
Moonbay watched him sadly. 'I guess he does realize his own feeling for her but now she goes and does something stupid like this. It must be really hurting him right now. I feel so bad for him,' thought Fiona as she looked at her friend sadly. "Please don't get so down Van. Maybe she will come back," said Moonbay in a comforting tone.  
  
"I really hope she does because I didn't even..." said Van but he forced back the tears that were threatening to fall. 'Strange for a man like me to be crying,' thought Van as he tried to toughen up a little but it wasn't doing too good. 'Please come back soon Fiona,' thought Van looking very depressed.  
  
*****  
  
Fiona found herself alone and scared. She really didn't know what she was going to do now. "I have to learn to do things on my own from now on or else all that has happened will be for nothing," said Fiona as she hung her head. Fiona looked around, and she found herself in a nice village. There were people all around going on with their business with smiles on their faces. "I can do this," said Fiona as she walked deeper into the town. 


	6. deal with it

Months had past but nothing seemed to go back to normal, or at least as normal as things could get at least when you work for the military. Fiona never did come back and everyone was really affected by her rather rash decision, especially Van.

"Where's Van?" asked Thomas when he saw Irvine, "Crougar is looking for him," said Thomas with a sigh. All Irvine merely did was point out a window. "Again?" asked Thomas realizing that Van was once again training like he has been doing almost non-stop since Fiona had left.

"Yep, he is at it once again. He has been training non-stop ever since she left. He was bad about it before but now he has become a maniac and only thinks about training. He has way too much free time," said Irvine with a sad shake of his head as he watched the blade liger going through the exercises with ease.

"It doesn't matter how much he does it, it won't bring Fiona back," said Thomas watching the scene outside with only mild interest because he had been watching it day after day for the last few months.

"I think that he knows that but it is either that it takes his mind off things, or that he still keeps his hopes up that if he becomes better that it will bring Fiona back. She left because she was afraid of him dying according to the note. I guess he does this to improve himself enough to show Fiona that he would be fine," said Irvine sitting back in his seat as he continued to watch the outside.

"He seems to have taken this much harder than any of us that Fiona left. It is still no reason to put himself through all that he has been just for some hope that she would return," said Thomas angrily as he watched the blade liger finally finish and come back to the base. He quickly ran to the hanger to talk to Van and just in time to see it come to a stop and Van jumped out of the blade liger.

Van hopped out of the blade liger with a monotonous look upon his face. He had been looking like that ever since she left. He had gone over the night so many times and he just couldn't figure out why she would just leave after they did something like that.

Thomas walked up to him calmly and cleared his throat to get Van's attention. "Van, Crougar wants to see you," said Thomas once he walked up to Van and stood directly in front of him.

Van looked at Thomas with little interest shown on his face. "What does he want?" asked Van turning his head back to the blade liger where he was attempting to fix something that he saw wrong in the tests a few minutes ago.

"I don't know. He just wanted me to get you so that he could talk to you," said Thomas a little aggravated by Van's no nonsense attitude that he had lately. He was nothing like that Van that they had first known. He was a man that was devoid of a lot of emotions unlike the emotional Van they met a while ago.

"Fine," said Van as he started to walk towards Crougar's office. He didn't even bother to say anything to Thomas after that and just walked ignoring everyone that was trying to get his attention. He just didn't feel like putting up with anyone nowadays. He just didn't care.

"Van wait up!" yelled Thomas as he started to run after him. When he caught up to Van, he grabbed him by the shoulder to stop him since it was clear that he wasn't going to stop if Thomas didn't do anything.

"I really don't have time to be talking like this Thomas. There are a lot of things that I have to do," said Van without listening to Thomas's response. He just shrugged off Thomas's hand and walked away without even trying to listen to Thomas. He came up to Crougar's office and walked in silently.

"Well that was rude," said Thomas as he watched Van walk into Crougar's office. He wanted to talk to Van and try to knock some sense into him. 'I guess that I will just have to wait until he comes out of Crougar's office and then force him to listen to me,' Thomas thought as he leaned against a wall.

It was a number of minutes later that Van came walking out of the office. Almost immediately after he left Crougar's office Van found Thomas waiting for him. "What?" asked Van growing annoyed that Thomas wasn't leaving him alone like he wanted to be.

"I need to talk to you," said Thomas in a serious tone. He noticed Van was trying to walk away so he grabbed his shoulder to stop him. "Damn it Van! Listen to Me!" Thomas yelled turning Van around to face him..

"What the Hell do you want? I have to get back to training so will you please just leave me alone?" said Van becoming more and more angered at Thomas's persistence. 'What is so hard about wanting to get back to work?" Van asked himself with a growl of frustration.

"Van you need to listen to us! Fiona is gone and is not going to come back. You have to get that in your head and just get over it!" Thomas yelled since Van was still trying to get away. He noticed that Van stopped and knew that he finally had a chance to talk.

"I know that Fiona will eventually come back. She just has to," said Van growing angered by all that Thomas was saying. He was also growing upset because the pain that he felt that morning was still present within his heart. Fiona was becoming someone that he both loved and hated.

"Van listen! She left because of you. So what makes you think that she will come back to you? It is about time that you accepted that she left and just get over it!" he continued to yell at the stubborn Van.

With what Thomas said, Van lost his temper. The next thing that Thomas knew Van had punched him hard in the face. He went flying to the ground where he shook his head and wiped his mouth where he noticed that blood was coming down from. He wiped that away and spit the blood in his mouth out.

Irvine who had been nearby happened to see this and immediate rushed over and stopped Van before he could do anything else. "Van stop!" Irvine yelled as he struggled to hold Van back from Thomas.

It took a few moments but Van finally managed to stop attacking Thomas but it was clear that he was still frustrated and angry at him. Irvine knew that he had to do something or Van might go overboard at some point. "Come on Van," said Irvine dragging Van away.

"Where are you taking me Irvine?" asked Van trying to get Irvine to let so he could get back to training. It was all that he wanted to do. At first it was mainly because he hoped that if he got better that maybe Fiona would come back, but now he was just used to doing that.

"You need to get things off of your mind Van. So I am going to take you into town to get a drink. You are also not going to get out of this either," said Irvine still dragging the reluctant Van out of base and driving into the nearest town.

* * *

"Have you found her yet?" asked Zack as Ryan entered the room. He was getting more and more aggravated at his lackeys failed attempts to find the one that they had failed to locate. They knew that she was no longer under Van's protection but they didn't know what happened to her. 

"No sir. We have been searching everywhere, but we have yet to find her. This should have been a blessing since we learned that she disappeared from even the guardian force but we just can't seem to find her," said Ryan with a stern face as he spoke with the man that he called his leader.

"You should have found her by now. She has no protection so find her and bring her here so that we can move on with the search for the others," said Zack growing more impatient with his lack of help.

"Yes we should have but all the help that you gave me just doesn't seem to be enough. The ancient zoidian just seemed to have disappeared," said Ryan also growing frustrated at their lack of success in finding Fiona. They had plans and she was crucial to those plans so they needed her.

"She didn't just disappear you nimrod. She is somewhere and you had best find out where that is. Take as many men as you need but you must find her!" Zack yelled slamming his fist down upon the desk that was in front of him.

"Yes sir we will double our efforts," said Ryan almost as if he wasn't fazed by his leader's apparent anger. "I will take twice as many men and we will continue our search for them immediately," he said bowing towards his leader before he left the room without another word.

"Then you had best find the girl. It is far more important than even you realize," said Zack with an evil grin and then a small chuckle before he fell silent and thought about some of the others plans that they had to accomplish before they could finally get started on his ultimate plan.

* * *

Van and Irvine arrived in town as the sun set and they headed into a nearby bar. It was a small yet quaint looking bar. The people were friendly looking except those that just looked drunk. They seemed to unnerve a few people but otherwise, they were just ignored. 

"Hey there Irvine, same as usual?" asked the bartender with a smile when he looked up to see Van and Irvine standing there in the doorway. He cleared off a space on the counter and the two of them took a seat in those spots.

"Sure thing and get one for my friend here," said Irvine pointing towards Van. "he is going through a rather rough time and I was hoping that I could help him get his mind off of it for one night. Maybe it will also knock himself back to his ordinary self," Irvine said with a smirk.

"Sure thing. I know just the thing for him. I will be back in a second," the bartender said as he grabbed two glasses and filled the up with a drink. He returned a few moments later and placed the drinks down upon the counter. "Here you go, just call me if you want anymore," he said before walking off to help another customer.

"Come on Van sit down and take a load off. Tonight I will help you forget about all of your problems. It is time for that. It has been far too long since you have done anything remotely like what you used to do," said Irvine pushing the drink closer to Van since he just seemed to be staring off into space. There was a blank look in his eyes. He truly was nothing but a shell of what it was that he used to be.

Van just looked at the drink for a few moments before he pushed it away. "I don't want any," he mumbled placing his head down on the counter. "The person I used to be was someone with nothing but foolish dreams. Fiona showed me that," Van said as flashes of that night with Fiona came back to his mind.

Irvine just let off a sigh because he knew that things weren't going to be easy in getting Van back to what he used to be. "Now don't talk like that Van. Didn't your dreams get you rather far when you first started off as a zoid pilot. I thought of you like a joke back then but look where your dreams have gotten you. You are one of the best zoid pilots around, except maybe for me," he said elbowing Van in the side but all that he received out of it was a grunt from Van.

"Well drink up Van," said Irvine taking a long drink out of his. He just stared at it sadly like he stared at everything ever since Fiona left. He just couldn't seem to find any happiness since the one who always gave him the most happiness was gone from his life and clearly not coming back.

After staring at it for a while Van took a sip of his. He just remained silent. He was kind of surprised, since he first thought that what Irvine had gotten him was some type of alcohol. He knew that a lot of people tended to drink so that they could forget and he knew that that was what Irvine had in mind for him. It turned out to be a very good non-alcoholic drink.

"There you go. That wasn't as hard as you thought it would be, now is it?" Irvine asked leaning back in his seat as he took a long sip of his own drink with a smirk on his face. "Good, isn't it?" Irvine asked turning his attention away from the drink and towards Van who was still sitting the same way he has been since they got there.

Van took a hold of the straw that was sticking out of the drink and just used it to swirl the drink around. He really wished that he could enjoy himself but he just couldn't seem to enjoy the night. "Irvine? Is it wrong to keep wishing that she will come back?" Van said in a dejected tone.

Irvine looked up at Van in slight surprise but gave him a sympathetic look. "It doesn't have to be, but I think that you are just letting it get a little out of control. You just aren't what you used to be," Irvine said as his grin turned into a neutral expression. "Why is it that you are taking this worse than any of us Van? I know that you loved her but we all loved her as well," he said with a frown.

Van didn't answer Irvine at all. His face contorted as if it was in pain even if he wasn't. He just couldn't get the pictures of that night with Fiona out of his head. He thought that they could have something special after that but she had proven him seriously wrong the next morning with her disappearance.

Irvine looked at his friend with sympathy. He may not know what actually went on between him and Fiona but he was determined to get Van to loosen up for at least one night. "Come on Van loosen up and have some fun," said Irvine. "What we need to do is get your mind off Fiona for now," said Irvine putting on a smile but it just disappeared when he saw the frown on Van's face.

"I am not just going to forget about Fiona, Irvine. I just can't no matter how hard I try," said Van looking like he was on the verge of tears. He just couldn't help it. He was in love with a woman who clearly didn't love him back. She made the perfectly clear since she didn't stick around.

"Just for tonight, try to have a little fun. That is all that I ask of you Van," said Irvine as he got out of his seat and walked to another side of the bar where he sat with some men who were playing cards.

Van sat alone for a long time after Irvine went to another area. It seemed like no matter how hard he tried he could not get Fiona out of his head. 'Irvine and Thomas are right. Fiona is gone but I just can't seem to deal with it,' thought Van. He just gave up trying not to think and stood up before walking out the door feeling like he needed some fresh air.

Van just walked around as the light of the two moons shone down upon the empty street. He could relate to that because his heart was as empty as the streets currently were. Not a single sole in sight, dark without any light. He hated it so much, how he had to feel such emotions since they only brought him pain.

Van walked for a few minutes just enjoying the slight breeze in the warm night. He ducked for a second into an alley and leaned against a wall and looked upwards towards the sky where the stars shown brightly down.

The stars were like his hope of ever seeing Fiona again. They were a very small light that shown amongst a much larger darkness that consumed all area's around him. He wanted her to come back but didn't known what he would do if she did.

He could suddenly hear some voices walking down the empty streets. They obviously didn't know that he was there because they were talking about things that most wouldn't talk about with other people around. Like illegal things that they did. Van didn't know why but he just decided to listen in.

"So what exactly are we doing here again Brian? We have been here for a number of days and yet neither Derek nor I know what the hell we are doing," a short man said to a man that was a good foot taller than him.

"If you were listening then you would know what we are doing here. The boss wants us to find some zoidian chick that was said to be stationed at some military base nearby. No sign of her has been made in several months and we are to see if she is still there," the taller man said in annoyance.

That immediately caught Van's attention. 'These guys are after Fiona. At least I known that they don't have her,' he thought in relief. He may hate her for leaving him but he would never wish that she would be captured by them. He thought that maybe if he was to capture one of them that he would be able to pump them for info.

Van snuck out of the shadows of the alley and walked behind the three men before coming to a stop with a look of fury on his face. He blamed these people for ruining his life. Things were going great until they suddenly showed up with their mission of getting Fiona.

"Hold it right there!" Van yelled making the three men stop in their tracks. They seemed to stiffen up a bit before they turned around and faced Van with a bit of dread in their eyes. It was very clear that they knew who it was that they were up against.

The fear that was showing within their eyes quickly disappeared only to be replaced by a smirk on each of their faces. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the GF. Or more precisely the infamous Van Flyheight," the medium sized man said in a taunting tone of voice as he eyed Van carefully.

"I am sure that the boss will pay big money if we are to do away with you since you seem to have a knack for getting in the way," the small man said as the three of them broke up and walked to each side of Van, each eyeing his every movement.

Van didn't even bother to move as the three of them surrounded him. He was just waiting for a fight right now. Some way to let off all of the stress that he had been feeling the past few months.

"Why don't you just save us all a lot of trouble and tell us where the zoidian broad is," the tallest man said with a wide smirk. He was close enough to Van at that moment for Van to smell some alcohol on his breath. "Or… we could just do it the hard way and beat the information out of you," he said with a sneer on his face.

"Go ahead, I could use a good fight," Van said feeling his blood boil at the sight of these men who seem to actually enjoy ruining people's lives. Van didn't do anything before a fist connected with his face and he was sent flying backwards.

Van landed with a thud but it was like he didn't even feel a thing. The three men approached again with a lot of confidence. "You really aren't as tough as I heard you were. Now tell us where the damn zoidian is!" he yelled but saw a defiant look in Van's eyes. "Or maybe it is possible that you don't even know," he said. He had always been proud that he was capable of reading peoples expressions.

'No!' Van mentally yelled. He knew that probably the only thing that was keeping her from being caught was that no one knew that she was gone. Now they knew and they will be looking for again and wouldn't stop at hurting anyone that gets in their way. He may hate her but he would never allow them to get their hands on her.

The biggest guy was too busy chuckling at his new found revelation that he didn't notice that foot that seemed to come out of nowhere sending the man flying backwards into the building with a loud crack that followed. Van was pretty sure that it was probably his arm.

"You bastard!" the remaining two yelled as they charged at Van with a ferocity that they weren't showing before. They attacked him with all their might landing hits on Van that he didn't even seem to feel.

Van was only seeing red. He swung his fist with all of his strength and nailed a guy in the head sending him falling to the ground unconscious. He foot then came around quickly nailing the last guy in the stomach.

The guy stumbled backwards still conscious but panting for air. He looked at Van with hate in his eyes and was about to attack when something hit his head and he too fell to the ground unconscious.

Van managed to calm down enough to look up and see Irvine standing over the unconscious man. "Wow, you sure did a number on these guys. Sorry I didn't give any help sooner but you looked like you needed to let off some of the anger that you have been holding in," he said with a small chuckle.

Van just looked down before he walked off to find some place where he could be alone. He wanted some place where he could think over what he had just done. He had wanted the men dead and was willing to go to any length in the state he was in to see it happen.

"Fine then, I guess I will have to call and have them come and pick these guys up. Maybe we could use them for questioning so that we can take down the one in charge. Maybe that will bring Fiona and your happiness back," Irvine said looking at Van with all the sympathy in the world.

Van just walked around in the night with no place he was aiming for. He was taking in deep breathes trying to calm himself down after what he had just done. It scared him that he could act that way.

Van walked for a while until he came to the middle of the town. It was quiet and there was a small park which he walked into. He saw a hill and walked to the top of it before he sat himself upon the ground and gazed up at the endless abyss of space above him.

It was a really warm night and Van closed his eyes so that he could relax and enjoy the feel of the wind that was blowing into his face. "This is relaxing, just like how I used to feel around Fiona," Van said before he caught himself and shook his head to get the thought out of his head. "Snap out of it Van. She is gone and she is never coming back so get those ideas out of your head," he said to himself silently.

Van just sat there with his eyes closed feeling the light wind against his face. He suddenly heard the light sound of footsteps coming up to him but he didn't pay much attention to it because he didn't feel all that threatened by it.

The sounds of the footsteps came to a stop right next to him but he still didn't even open his eyes. "Excuse me is this seat taken?" asked the feminine voice of a woman that was standing next to Van pointing towards a spot next to him.

Van finally opened his eyes and turned around to see a girl that was around his age with long brown hair that reached down to mid-back even with the high ponytail that she had. Her eyes glimmered with her sparkling blue eyes and she seemed to be slightly shorter than Fiona's height. To anyone else she could be a very attractive girl.

"Well?" asked the girl once again pointing at the spot that was next to Van with a smile on her face. She giggled a little when she saw the confused look on Van's face. It was a pleasant sound to listen to but nothing like Fiona's.

As if finally realizing what she was asking for, Van snapped out of his stupor and moved aside a little so that she could sit down. "Go ahead," said Van and watched as she took the seat that he had opened up. Most would be thrilled to have a beautiful woman like her talking to them but Van just didn't feel like that.

"Thank you. I always come here since I first moved here a few weeks ago. I find it a beautiful place to come to when I need to clear my mind," the girl said as she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "By the way my name is Ashley," said the girl named Ashley holding out her hand to shake Van's.

Van just looked at it for a second and shook it. "My name is Van," said Van trying to be nice. He had to admit that it was nice to have someone to talk to besides his normal circle of friends since they always seemed to bring Fiona up in all of their conversations.

Her smiled seemed to brighten a little. "It is just like the hero Van Flyheight's name. I am sure that you get that a lot though," said Ashley with a small chuckle. She noticed that Van just shrugged his shoulders at her little comment.

"That is true but not completely," said Van and saw her eyes him in curiosity trying to figure out what he meant by that. "I am Van Flyheight," said Van in a quiet voice looking up at the sky once more. 'People call me great but I'm not, I can't even keep one girl,' he thought sadly.

"Really, wow!" said Ashley in an excited voice. "Who would have thought that me of all people would end up meeting the famous zoid pilot who saved all of planet Zi?" she said with excitement clearly showing with her blue eyes.

"I'm not as great as everyone makes me out to be," Van said sadly looking towards the ground. "People always make me out to be great but I really am not," he continued still looking towards the ground with a lot of sadness in his eyes. He was talking to a beautiful woman but he just couldn't stop thinking about Fiona. 'Why can't I get her out of my head?' Van asked himself angrily.

"I am sure that you are just being modest. No normal person would be able to do some of the things that you have done; like beating the deathsaurer twice. If I was in your spot then I would probably be bragging about that sort of accomplishment," she said with another laugh. She looked at him and saw that he wasn't laughing. You aren't that much fun, do you know that?" she asked with a fake pout. She knew that there was something wrong with him though.

"I'm sorry. I am just going through a very hard time lately," Van said finally looking at her since he hadn't really looked at her since she first sat down. "I am not normally like this but something happened a few months ago and I just haven't been the same since," Van said honestly. He didn't know why he was talking to someone he hardly knew like this but it actually felt good to get some of these things off of his chest.

"What happened? Did a friend of yours die?" she asked but Van only shook his head no in response. "Did your girlfriend leave you?" she asked with a little humor but the shrug of Van's shoulders shocked her a little. "How can you not know if your girlfriend left you?" she asked confused.

"To tell the truth, I really don't know what it was that we had. I was kind of hoping that we would be able to have something but then she just ran off just when I was finally starting to understand my feelings for her. It is like she ran off and took my heart with her," Van said trying to ignore the pains in his heart that were coming back again.

"You love her?" she asked and received a confused shrug from Van. "That has got to be rather harsh. "Love can be painful I guess. I would never know because I have never fallen in love with anyone in my life. A few crushes here and there but nothing very serious. I somehow doubt that I ever will, but I guess sometimes that it will just come to you and you just won't realize it until it is too late," she said now being the one looking up at the stars.

* * *

'Sometimes that it will just come to you and you just won't realize it until it is too late,' those words seemed to ring within Van's mind long after he had departed ways with Ashley. He had to admit that she was definitely an interesting person to be around. Not his type though. 

Van continued walking deeper into the base until he came across Irvine who seemed to be standing impatiently for something. 'Hey Irvine," van said walking up to him. He saw Irvine turn his head and decided to continue. "Did you get to question any of those guys we captured yet?" Van asked quickly.

Irvine wasn't sure but he could have sworn that there was something different about this Van compared to the pissed off one that he had seen every day for the past few months. "Got bad news Van," Irvine said and he heard Van groan. "The escort that brought the guys here was attacked and destroyed. Neither the military officers that were escorting them or the prisoners themselves survived. Sorry man," he said sadly.

Van let out a sigh. Before he walked away 'At least the information that they got won't get out to their leader,' he thought walking towards his room. He walked into his room and laid down upon his bed and stared up at the ceiling.

He had this nagging feeling for the past few hours like something was happening that he should have been a part of. He felt that this thing is very important for him yet he could not figure out what it was.

* * *

Fiona meanwhile was very tired after what had happened to her. She sat in a bed staring out of the window into the dark night. In her arms she was holding a baby that she had just given birth to. It was hers and Van's baby. One conceived on that night of passion that they had.

All was quiet around her. She let a tear run down her face as she thought of something. 'This is our child Van, but I guess you won't be able to meet her. You probably hate me right now, but I am sorry about all of this. I hope that if anything you have at least tried to move on with your life. It would be the best way for you to stay safe if you weren't always trying to protect me when there are people that want me. Maybe someday you will meet our daughter. I don't know though,' thought Fiona as she stared out a window into the dark sky above her. This just caused yet another tear to fall.

Fiona held the baby slightly tighter to her but not enough to wake it from its peaceful sleep. She had been scared shitless when she had learned that she was pregnant with Van's child. At one time she could only imagine this happening to the two of them. He wasn't here for it though. A tear fell down her cheek. "I'm so sorry van," she said letting out the tears she had been trying to hold back for so long.


	7. Raven and Reese

He couldn't get rid of them and they were really starting to get on his nerves. Raven looked around a corner and saw that they were yet again on pursuit of them. There had to be at least several dozen soldiers all over the place. 'These guys are more persistent than the guardian force was,' Raven thought with a scowl before ducking back into his and Reese's private little alley where they were forced to stay for the time being.

"Are they still there Raven?" Reese asked since she couldn't see what they were doing at the moment. Raven seemed to be a little more protective since they learned the truth about the guys that he wouldn't even let her see what was going on. Even though it had everything to do with her,

Raven scowled again and took a seat against a wall in the small cramped alley. He figured it was the safest place to be since it was so small that they'd on be able to enter one at a time. Easier to take them out that way. "Yeah. At least now we know what they were after since Van notified us," Raven said crossing his arms over his chest and closing his eyes in thought. 'What do they want with Reese? I'd rather be rid of her but I can't let them have her either,' he thought before standing up and walking around. he hated being trapped like this.

"Great just what I needed people that want me for something," Reese said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes. 'It'd be easy to use my mind powers if I knew the actual targets that I'm going to be using them on,' she thought feeling helpless since her powers were useless right then.

Raven still had the scowl on his face as he paced around with his normal grumpy face. "I have two questions though. What do they want you for? Also, why's it seemed they are working harder than ever in their search?" said Raven feeling like he could punch a hole in a wall just using the frustration that had been building up the past few weeks.

"I am guessing that it has to do with Fiona disappearing. They have no idea where she is so they change their target to the other one. What's so special about the two of us in specific that make us a target?" Reese pondered the question going through her mind since she first learned the truth.

"Why would anyone want you anyways?" Raven muttered which earned him a glare from Reese. "I wonder if it could have anything to do with the deathsaurer. Then again, these guys aren't exactly the same type of people that Hiltz and Prozen liked to use," Raven speculated finally stopping his pacing and took a seat.

"That's because their not. This has nothing to do with them as far as I can see," Reese said standing up. She listened carefully and didn't hear the normal sound of the soldiers. "Sounds like they've finally moved to a different area," she said and Raven stood up as well and listened too.

"Come on. If we hurry we can get to the genobreaker before they realize that we aren't even in this town anymore," Raven said as he grabbed Reese's hand and made a dash in one direction. He only managed to get by some soldiers because their backs were turned at the time.

After a few minutes of running they managed to make it to the genobreaker but to their unfortunate surprise there was about twenty different zoids that were surrounding it even though it was well hidden.

A soldier turned and saw the two of them. "There they are!" he shouted and several soldiers turned towards the two of them and several guns were pointed in their direction. "Give up or we'll have to shoot you!" he said with a smirk at how they managed to get the two of them cornered.

Raven reached for the gun at his side but someone shot at his hand and he was forced to give up in his attempt. Raven looked in several different direction and then looked towards the genobreaker and a thought came to home. "You don't know who you're messing with," Raven said with a grin before he yelled, Shadow!" yelled Raven at the top of his lungs since he knew Shadow was waiting in the genobreaker with Specula.

From where the genobreaker was standing a streak of light shot out from it and crashed into a number of the zoids before it landed behind Raven. It immediately opened up and swallowed Raven before taking back to the skies and back into the genobreaker before any of the soldiers could react.

Reese immediately knew what Raven was going to do and knew it would be wise to get out of the area or she may end being a casualty of the battle. "Specula!" Reese yelled already trying to get away so that Rave would have all the space he needed to fight without having to watch where he's going.

Specula shot away from the genobreaker just as shadow had a few moments prior. It raced towards Reese who was waiting. Without even needing to stop, Reese jumped onto the back of specula and they both shot a decent distance away from the soon to be battlefield.

The genobreaker roared to life once Raven was inside the cockpit and it immediately took to trashing the other zoids. However, just at the sight of the feared red dinosaur type zoid, several of the soldiers immediately bolted knowing that they didn't have much of a chance at winning. "Cowards!" Raven growled since he hated weaklings like that more than anything.

He then looked around and saw that there was still a few that were brave enough to stand up against it's mighty power. "You guys have made the biggest mistake of your life," Raven grinned as the genobreaker shot forward towards them as they fired weapons that didn't even seem to have any effect on the powerful zoid.

Shooting out its claw it hit a dark horn that was approaching Raven at top speed. It swung it around so that it smashed into a large rock formation and then fell to the ground as if lifeless. It didn't even attempt to get back up. It was nothing but a sitting target to Raven.

Before Raven could destroy the zoid, another zoid popped up out of nowhere. It was a black shield liger type zoid. Raven suddenly imagined that Van was the one piloting the zoid and grin before smashing the zoid with the genobreaker's tail. 'Only Van really knows how to pilot that type of zoid properly,' he groaned in annoyance as several redlers came soaring in on him.

"All of you suck at piloting zoids!" Raven yelled as the clamps on the genobreaker hooked into the ground and the mouth started to intake energy before he fired at the flying zoids. Fortunately for them, it only hit their wings and they crashed into the ground with a large thud.

It only took a few minutes before Raven was done and all the zoids were trashed with only their pilots getting injured with very few deaths. 'I'm getting a bit rusty,' Raven thought with a grin as he stopped the genobreaker and hopped out of the cockpit to take a look at his work.

The scene looked a lot more devastating than the casualty count actually made it look. There were trashed zoids all over the place. Some that you wouldn't even be able to tell what they originally were but there was also several pilots lying all around. They were all wounded badly but they still appeared to be alive at that moment.

"I must be getting soft. Only a few years ago I would have killed all of those guys without a second thought," Raven said as he admired what he just did. "Oh well, it's their fault for getting in my way. They shouldn't have been following me," Raven said as he saw Reese land and hop off specula.

Looking around the field at all of the trashed zoids with a few pilots that were still barely breathing. Reese whistled in an impressed way and turned to look at Raven. She only had one thing to say, "I'm surprised. There are still a few of them alive," stated Reese with a smirk on her face.

Raven scowled at how she was teasing him and turned back to the genobreaker. He knew this was their chance to escape before more soldiers decided to come and help. Raven could take them down but he didn't feel like fighting weaklings right then. "Shut up and get in," Raven said as he got back into the genobreaker.

Reese soon followed and got into the genobreaker quickly as it started up once again and took off as fast as it could so they could get away from the town and the soldiers. "If we can just find some cave to hide in for the time being, we should be able to get away from them," Raven muttered as the organoids took flight after them and followed from the air.

Raven didn't even listen to wonder if Reese was saying anything or not. He kept his eyes trained all around them so that there wouldn't be any sort of surprise attack. He didn't see any zoids around so he calmed down a little and started to slow the genobreaker down since they were already several miles away from the town. They couldn't even see it anymore.

Reese sighed in relief since she didn't feel anything around them as well. "I think we're far enough away. I can't feel the presence of anyone around here anyways," stated Reese when she realized that there was no one following them.

She spoke too soon though because only a matter of seconds later they were shot at by an iron kong that was standing only a few feet away. "What the hell! I thought you said that you didn't feel anyone around us!" Raven yelled as the genobreaker was thrown to the ground where it skidded for a few seconds before finally coming to a stop. He picked it up and faced a brown iron kong standing a good fifty feet away.

"I did! I still don't feel anyone! For some reason, whoever is in that zoid is blocking me from getting into their mind" Reese yelled as she managed to pull herself back into her seat after being thrown around the cockpit of the genobreaker.

Raven growled and griped the controls. "Maybe it's just a sleeper zoid. Then again, I get the strangest feeling that it isn't. I've never heard of an iron kong being a sleeper zoid," Raven said as he watched the zoid carefully. It just stood there patiently as if waiting for something.

"That's because there are none. The republic uses guysacks and the empire uses molgas as sleepers," Reese said growing annoyed as she tried to probe the mind of the man in front of them again and once again fail. 'It's either he doesn't think or there's more to it than that,' she thought angrily.

A screen popped up in the genobreaker's cockpit showing a very familiar face, yet one that Raven just couldn't seem to place. "So you guys didn't learn your lesson back there did you?" Raven asked clutching the controls tightly ready to attack at a moment's notice.

A screen popped up showing a strong looking man that had a sneer on his face. "Those guys were pathetic. I could defeat them all in my sleep without the help of an organoid," Ryan said with a confident look on his face. "No use trying to get into my mind zoidian, your powers have no effect on me," he said in a cocky tone.

Raven was wondering how he knew of a way to block Reese's mind powers. Somehow Raven knew that it would be wise for him not to underestimate the power of the man and zoid that was standing before him. He didn't know why though. "Who the hell are you?" Raven asked.

Ryan just smirked as he studied Raven over the communication. "You've met me before. Remember when you went to visit Flyheight?" Ryan asked with a confident smirk on his face and it only increased when a look of recognition crossed Raven's placid face. "Good you remember now," he said laughing.

"Oh it's you. You were the one that killed that man before he could tell us anything," Raven said as his face went blank and he just stared at the man before him. "That cause me quite a bit of trouble after that," Raven growled and glared at the man on the screen.

Ryan wasn't even the least bit fazed by the glare. In fact, it actually seemed to make him more confident. "Yes but now that you know what we want it will make things a bit easier for me. Now hand her over," Ryan said ready to attack since he knew what Raven's answer would be.

Raven's face went blank once again as he clutched the controls. "I think not. When it comes to me you will never have an easy time," Raven said pushing on the controls full strength. He charged towards the iron kong and was about an inch away from hitting it when it moved out of the way at a speed that had to be too fast for an iron kong.

The next thing Raven knew the genobreaker was hit quite a distance when the iron kong appeared at his side and slammed its fist into the head of the genobreaker. It shook Raven up quite a bit but he recovered quickly. "What the hell!" Raven yelled glaring at the iron kong.

Ryan just chuckled when he saw the genobreaker trying it's hardest to stand up from that one attack. "Normal tactics are impossible to use against me. I know every move you will make before you even make it," Ryan said with a confident voice and smirk on his face.

Raven didn't like this. Nobody had given him too much trouble except for Van. The genobreaker took its footing in the ground as the clamps on its feet latched itself to the ground. The genobreaker was preparing for a charged particle beam. "I'm afraid that this is the end for you. Later!" Raven smirked as the particle beam came to full charge.

Ryan just watched it as if it was a normal occurrence. 'He actually thinks he'll get me with that attack?' he thought as he took a footing into the ground as if he planned to actually take the charge particle beam full blast. "Nice try!" he said with a laugh as he watched the genobreaker about to fire.

Raven was really surprised to see that he wasn't even going to try to move out of the way of one of the most dangerous attacks ever. "Idiot!" Raven yelled as the genobreaker fired the charged particle beam at the iron kong and it hit it dead-on at full force.

* * *

Raven bolted up in a bed as he regained consciousness. "Where am I?" Raven asked as he clutched his forehead since the bright light of the room were giving him a bit of a headache. He was glad when he saw that they were dimmed and he looked up to see his biggest rival standing in front of him.

Van leaned against the wall next to the door with a hand on the light switch. "You're at the Red River Base," Van said as he stood up straight and walked towards the hospital bed. He may not have had the best past with Raven but he had respect for the guy.

Raven growled as he swung his feet over the side of the bed and tried to stand up but he became a bit dizzy and ended up falling back down. "Where's Reese?" Raven asked as he gave up trying to stand up at the fiftieth try.

"She's fine. She has actually been worried about you since you were brought here a few days ago," Van said as he walked over to the window and too a look at the bright day outside. He couldn't remember the last time he saw a day as bright as it was that day. A part of him couldn't help but wonder if it was the same for Fiona.

Raven searched his mind but he could find an answer to one question that was swarming through his head. "How did I get here?" he asked as he finally managed to stand up and walked over to shadow who happened to be standing loyally in the corner of the room.

Van just pointed to the black organoid with a straight face. "You're organoids brought the two of you her. You were in pretty bad condition at the time and we treated you," Van said as he leaned against the wall again. 'Took a lot of convincing to get them to help,' he thought remembering what happened. "What happened to you?" Van asked wondering how his toughest rival could've been put in such a shape.

Raven knew what happened what was still confused on how it was even possible. "He should've been killed," Raven murmured to himself as he thought back to what had happened after he had fired the charged particle beam.

Flashback

There was dust everywhere and nobody was able to see what had happened on the battlefield asked the intense shot of the charged particle beam. Raven found himself staring at the field with a feeling of triumph in him. "He was just all talk and no action. I hate people like him," he said as he prepared to leave.

He was about to turn around when the dust started to settle and the iron kong stood there looking as if it didn't have a scratch on it. "What the hell! How is that even possible?" yelled Raven staring in disbelief as the weapon that once could take down several zoids at once failed to even leave a dent on the iron kong.

Ryan just laughed at the disbelief that Raven was feeling. "I told you that normal tactics were useless against me. Maybe you should rethink your strategy because you won't be able to use those tactics again," Ryan said as the Iron kong charged forward and just barely missed the genobreaker. "Pretty quick to be able to dodge that," he said not looking angry at all. In fact, he was looking rather pleased still.

"Go to hell bastard!" Raven said firing the claws without warning but growled when the first of the two missed. He then shot the other one and this time it managed to grab the iron kong's legs and Raven smirked. "Gotcha!" he said sending a shockwave through the claw.

Ryan didn't even feel the effects of the shock as the iron kong grabbed a hold of the genobreaker's claws and pulled it off of it's legs. "Such pathetic attacks won't harm me," he said pulling on the claws which sent the genobreaker flying forward.

"Damn it!" Raven yelled as he did his best to pull the genobreaker up right. He did just in time as the genobreaker skidded across the ground several feet before it final came to a stop.

Raven barely had time to react before he saw the iron kong running at him with it's fist raised in the air ready to strike down upon the genobreaker. Raven was barely able to get the shield up before the fist hit it full force.

Ryan smirked putting more power into the fist pushing it into the shield even though it was causing the zoid's fist to take some serious damage. The sheer stress of it shattered the shield somehow but in the process the iron kong lost it's fist.

"Damn it! How did he break the shield?" Raven asked himself as he looked over the genobreaker quickly to see if there was anything wrong. He found it strange when he saw that the genobreaker's shield was just fine before then. "What the hell is going on?" Raven asked himself narrowly dodging the only good fist on the iron kong.

"I think it's time that I finished this," Ryan said coming down with his fist again. Just as he saw Raven preparing to dodge, he changed attacks and slammed into the genobreaker with the shoulder of the iron kong and then slammed his good fist really hard at the cockpit area.

It didn't manage to breach the cockpit but the force of it forced the cockpit open and caused Raven to be thrown out of it and landed hard on the ground. He skidded for several moments as Reese tried to get a hold of herself in the cockpit before he finally came to a stop.

Raven opened his eyes weakly and watched as the powerful iron kong walked slowly towards him. Before everything went black he saw shadow come down and pick him up just as the iron kong's fist came down for the kill.

End Flashback

Van listened intently as Raven recounted what happened in the battle. It was really distressing to him to hear that there was someone powerful enough to use an iron kong to defeat a zoid that was powerful as the genobreaker. "Who would've thought he'd be able to do that," Van muttered as he sat in a chair and tried to digest the large amount of information he was being given.

"I wasn't as prepared for the battle as I normally was. I swear that the next time I see that man, I will drive that iron kong of his into the dirt and give it a nice going away present with my charged particle beam!" Raven said angrily as his fist slammed down upon the table next to his bed.

Van watched Raven take out of his anger without saying a word. He knew what Raven was feeling at that moment. He felt weak. Lost at something that he thought was going to be easy. Van had experienced that in the few battles he lost against Raven and also at the mere thought of Fiona.

"Where's my genobreaker? I'm going to hunt down that guy and make sure he pays for the humiliation he made me go through!" Raven said turning towards the door but stopped when he felt Van grab his arm. "Let go of me Van!" he growled out in no mood for someone to try and hold him back from his revenge.

"I really don't think it would be wise for you to head out to face him as injured as you are Raven," Van said as he stared coldly at Raven. "And with your zoid still damaged, I doubt you will be able to defeat him anyways. I know you are feeling humiliated but give it some time!" Van said sternly.

"No one asked for your opinion Van," Raven said calmly as he opened the door. "Now tell me what happened to my genobreaker!" he said coldly staring at Van and smirked when he saw Van fidget a little.

Van had never seen such hatred in Raven. Sure Raven hatred him whenever he lost to Van but this was something that seemed to be even larger than anything Van had ever seen in Raven before. "Fine. You're genobreaker was just brought in and it's being repaired now," Van said finally giving in. 'If he wants to get himself killed that that will be his fault. I said my part,' Van thought staring at Raven as stood in the doorway.

Raven smirked as he opened the door and walked out of the room. "Good because I don't want to stay here for one more second," Raven said as he calmly walked down the halls and watched as several soldiers fearfully moved out of his way so as to avoid the wrath of one of the most powerful zoid warriors on planet Zi.

Van watched him walk away with a frown. "He could have at least said thanks," Van said as he too left the room and headed towards his own. He figured that he would never understand why Raven was as hard headed as he was. Van secretly hoped that Raven would get his revenge. Van and Raven didn't get along but Raven was still his greatest rival and he had all the respect in the world for him.

* * *

Reese was just sitting off to the side watched as men reluctantly did their repairs on the Genobreaker. She just knew that they wouldn't be doing it at all if it were for Van. They would rather just see Raven and her die for all the pain and suffering that they caused in the past.

That wasn't the case though. The two of them made a deal after the deathsaurer and made a promise that they would stop fighting the Empire and the Republic and occasionally give help to the guardian force should the need arise. In return, they would be granted some sort of freedom.

Reese looked up at the damaged Genobreaker. She just knew that they kept a tracking device installed to keep tabs on where the two of them were at all times. Neither her nor Raven were planning on taking it off because they figured that it would be best to just live in peace so that they wouldn't have to fight the guardian force anymore.

Reese then looked over and saw Raven approaching. "I see that you're finally up," Reese said happily as she walked over to him and looked at his angry face. "You don't look too happy," she commented and knew that he was pissed off at his loss to Ryan. She too was angry that even her mind powers couldn't work against the man that defeated Raven.

Raven was silent for a few seconds as he regarded the genobreaker. When he finally did say something all he said was, "We're going," he said before he headed towards the still severally damaged genobreaker ready to take it out exactly as it was. He didn't want to stay in this military base any longer and keep getting the stares he was getting. He found it to be really annoying.

Reese groaned because she was still tired from all of their running. "Can't we just stay and rest for a while because we have been running from those guys for a long time and it wouldn't hurt to rest for a little bit," Reese said as she leaned against the crates and slid to the floor with a tired sigh.

Raven could only growl with what she was saying. The more he stayed in a military base, the more it continued to irritate him. "I would really prefer if we got out of her immediately!" he growled angrily shooting a glare at two young soldiers who were gawking at the sight of him in the military base.

Reese groaned as her head fell to stare at the floor. She really was too tired and the few days she had to rest while he was unconscious really didn't seem like it was enough because she just wanted to rest more. She just kept pleading with him.

Raven didn't know why but he felt his anger die for a little bit. "Fine, but not for long!" Raven said getting annoyed with her. "And I'm only doing this because we are going to search for that guy and I don't want you slowing us down because you're tired,' Raven said as he too took a seat and waited impatiently for them to get done with the repairs.

He would never completely admit it but in the past years both of them had changed so dramatically that there didn't seem to be any evil left in them. They just seemed to want to try and prefer a peaceful life.

Raven actually just hid them away for a while and also hid the genobreaker. He only really decided to get back into it's cockpit because of the threat that the organization that was causing so much trouble. He knew it would be unwise to leave them alone when they attacked him and Reese so he got back in and started piloting again.

Reese was the one that changed most of all. She even seemed to get along great with Van and the others now and even seemed to become good friends with them. Raven originally could never really get used to it and tried to remain like he used to be, but now he realized that he was actually starting to like things more.

It was really strange for him but he even seemed to be falling in love with Reese, which made it seem like she had a lot of control over him and could make him do a lot of things even if he didn't feel like it.

Yes, he was definitely growing soft but he knew that it didn't mean that he wasn't still a dangerous person. He would prefer it if people continued to fear him so that they would leave him alone. A peaceful life was all that he really wanted now but the organization seemed to take any chances of that away from him.

'God I wish they would just finish the repairs soon. I'm going to find and rip out the throats of the guy in charge of the organization and also the throat of that man,' he thought in contempt leaning back and closing his eyes figuring that he could just get a little rest before they left. He didn't care where but if he was going to be forced to stay here a little longer than he was going to rest. He'd prefer if it was closer to his genobreaker in case of an emergency.

"Hey Raven," Reese said as she watched the slow progress on the genobreaker. He didn't reply but she knew that he was listening anyways. "Are we going after him?" she asked and she just saw him nod his head without opening his eyes. "How do you plan on doing that? I know you don't have a plan," she said with a sigh.

Raven smirked as he sat up and took a glance at her. "I don't think it will be possible to avoid them forever if you're going to travel with me," he said and Reese nodded her head. "I'll meet him again eventually and I'll fight and defeat him," Raven said with a smirk at the mere thought of it.

Reese was willing to go through anything if it meant that she could help Raven get his revenge. She would be willing to put her safety in jeopardy. She knew that Raven would protect her though. She knew it wasn't what he liked to talk about but she knew that he was different and actually cared for things me, including her. "Fine."

* * *

Worry was etched out all over Fiona's face. She really didn't know what she was going to do. She was worried for the safety of hers and Vans daughter. Their daughter and Van were the most precious things in her life and she didn't want to see either of them hurt.

Fiona stood up and walked over to a small crib holding the small baby girl in it. "Is it possible that they could come after you as well?" she asked quietly as she reach down and lightly caressed the cheek of the baby so softly that it didn't wake it up from it's sleep.

Fiona then pulled her hand away carefully and smiled at the little girl. "No they haven't found me yet so she is safer with me for now," Fiona said looking at her pride and joy. A tear fell down as she watched her little girl. "Sooner or later they will find me but until then both me and our daughter will be safe Van," Fiona said before bursting into even more tears.


	8. the mysterious girl

4 years later  
  
Things seemed to be really crazy at the time and no one seemed to be able to handle what was going on. There were people everywhere and more were coming by the second. More towns were being destroyed in a much faster time and there wasn't enough space to be able to hold all of the homeless people that were being brought in.  
  
"Man this is nuts," said Van upon seeing about another hundred people being brought in. "I know it is but we have to do anything in our power to be able to help all of these people," said Thomas next to him. "Do you think that I don't know that?" asked Van. "All of these people are homeless, and there is a number of them that have lost family as well," said Van. "You would think whoever is behind this would have stopped after a while," said Thomas. "Not really. They are out for their own purposes they won't stop until they get what they want," said Van. "You mean like Reese and Fiona?" asked Thomas but he regretted it by the look that came over Van's face. "Sorry I didn't mean to," said Thomas. "It is alright," said Van. He didn't really like to talk about Fiona since she left but he had managed to put it behind him. "Listen Thomas. Can you take over from here? I need to go rest because I have been up all night as they have been brought in," said Van. "Sure thing," said Thomas.  
  
Van walked through the crowds of people feeling bad for all that has happened to him. "Major Flyheight," yelled Crougars voice. Van was now a major in the Republican army. It made him like his father and he felt very proud for that. "Yes sir?" asked Van. "Do you have anything to report?" asked Crougar. "Out of all the residents of the town that was just destroyed about three hundred have already been brought with more still on the way," said Van. "Very good," said Crougar. "If you need anything else Captain Shubaltz is in charge for now," said Van. "Very well, you are dismissed," said Crougar. "Thank you sir," said Van with a salute.  
  
Moonbay looked at all the homeless people and was heartbroken. She just couldn't take all the misery that was going around. She looked around and what seemed to be the saddest thing she saw was a small girl all alone crying by herself. "Hey there little one. What's wrong?" asked Moonbay in her nicest voice. "I can't find mommy," said the little girl as tears ran all down her face. "How sad. What is your name?" asked Moonbay. "Kristi," said the girl. "That is a pretty name. How old are you," asked Moonbay. The girl just held up four fingers shyly. "So you are four. Ok now about your parents. What are your mother and fathers names? I can try and help you find them," said Moonbay as nicely as possible. "I don't know. I always called my mom mommy, and I don't have a daddy," said Kristi shyly. It was then that Kristi noticed Moonbay was staring at her and it made her feel uncomfortable. "What?" asked Kristi. "It's nothing, you just look familiar that is all," said Moonbay examining the girl. "Come with me maybe we can find her," said Moonbay taking her hand and walking with her. "Thank you," said Kristi nicely. "It is no problem," said Moonbay.  
  
"Hey Irvine," yelled Moonbay. "What?" asked Irvine also noticing the kid that was with Moonbay. "Who's the kid?" asked Irvine. "I am helping her try to find her mom," said Moonbay. "Let me guess. You were wondering if I could help you find her," said Irvine. "Yeah," said Moonbay. "What does she look like?" asked Irvine. "Don't know, she won't tell me," said Moonbay. "Then I don't think I will be able to help," said Irvine. Irvine looked at the girl and like Moonbay, he felt that the girl looked familiar. Moonbay noticed what he was thinking. "Let me guess. She looks familiar," whispered Moonbay. "Yeah," Irvine whispered back. "Where though?" asked Moonbay. "I don't know," said Irvine. "Maybe we would know if we could get a few descriptions out of the girl," he continued. He turned towards the girl about to ask a few questions when he noticed that she had disappeared. "Where did she go?" asked Moonbay.  
  
Kristi meanwhile had found something that seemed to interest her. Which just so happened to be Zeke. "Hello there," said Kristi nicely. Zeke seemed confused but he knew there was something familiar about this girl. He liked her though because of this. "His name is Zeke," came a voice from behind Kristi and she turned around to see Thomas standing there. "Zeke?" asked the girl. "Yes. He is an organoid and there is only one person here that he will actually listen to," said Thomas, "There was one other but no one has seen her for years," he continued. "Zeke, Give me a piggyback ride," said Kristi as she climbed onto Zeke's back. "Wait," said Thomas but Zeke seemed happy to comply and took off with her happily on his back. "That was weird," said Thomas as he watched them run off. "Thomas," said Moonbay from behind him. "Yeah," said Thomas. "Have you seen a small girl with blonde hair around here," asked Moonbay. "Yeah. Zeke just ran off with her on his back," said Thomas. "Why?" asked Thomas. "We need to ask her something important," said Irvine. "They went off that way," said Thomas pointing his finger in the direction that they went. "Thank," the two said as they ran after them.  
  
"Go faster Zeke," yelled the delighted Kristi and Zeke complied going even faster. Kristi squealed in delight even though they nearly ran over a number of people that were in the halls.  
  
Van felt a great deal better. He had finally gotten some rest and was ready to get back to work when he noticed Zeke running towards him. "Watch it Zeke," warned Van as Zeke nearly ran over him by not seeing him. Zeke didn't even slow down by Van's words and kept running with the girl still on his back. "What was that about?" asked Van. "And who was that girl?" asked Van. He figured he had better stop Zeke before he caused any damage so he immediate dashed after him except he was being more careful.  
  
Zeke seemed to be having a lot of trouble slowing down. "Slow down," yelled Kristi who was now starting to get a little scared. They were coming up to a sharp turn and Zeke knew that if he didn't slow down he would end up running into the wall. He was coming closer and closer to the wall and he didn't know what to do because he was going too fast and he didn't want Kristi to get hurt.  
  
Van had taken a short cut since he knew that Zeke would end up going in that direction at some point and he planned to try and stop him. Zeke came into sight and he seemed to be running at a high speed and he also looked like he was trying to stop and was having a great deal amount of trouble in doing so. Van looked ahead of Zeke and saw the wall and knew that Zeke was almost definitely going to run into the wall. Van had to move fast standing just off to the side he knew that Zeke had seen him as he was coming very fast at him. Right as Zeke past him Van moved fast and grabbed the girl off of Zeke before he was too far away. He managed to get her off just in time as a moment later Zeke slammed into the wall. Van looked at the now very scared girl. "Are you ok?" asked Van. "W.we were just having fun," said Kristi. "It's ok," said Van. Zeke managed to pick himself out of the wall and walked over to them. Van just gave him a stern look. "You're ok," said Van trying to comfort the girl. "Zeke had trouble stopping," said Kristi looking up at Van's face with her crimson eyes. Van was amazed because he felt this girl looked familiar. In fact one word came to Van's mind of what she looked like. "Fiona," whispered Van. 


	9. Parents

"Are all of you alright?" asked Moonbay once they had managed to catch up and saw the damaged wall. "Yeah we are alright," said Van helping Kristi onto her feet. "How are you?" Moonbay asked Kristi. "Fine," she replied very quietly. "You already know her?" asked Van. "Yeah, I was helping her to try and find her mother when she ran off with Zeke," said Moonbay. "Her mother?" asked Van. "Yeah, do you know something?" asked Moonbay. "No I don't," said Van. "Ok. Do you want to get back to finding your mother?" asked Moonbay. Kristi just nodded her head. "Ok then come on," said Moonbay. Kristi just stayed where she was. "What's the matter?" asked Moonbay upon seeing that she wasn't following. "I want him to help me find mommy," Kristi said pointing to Van. Moonbay looked at Van and the looked back at the girl. "He is a busy man so maybe," said Moonbay but she was cut off by Van. "Actually I would be glad to try and help her find her mother," said Van. "But aren't you busy?" asked Moonbay. "Things have slowed down," said Van, "And I need to see to something," said Van. "Then wouldn't it be easier to see to it by yourself?" asked Moonbay. "Actually she might be able to help me with it," said Van smiling at Kristi. "Ok then. I guess I will just leave it to you, but I wanted to help her in a way," said Moonbay. A thought then struck her and she just had to ask. Quickly she grabbed Van and pulled him away. "Van I have a question," said Moonbay. "What is it?" asked Van. "Does that girl look familiar to you?" asked Moonbay. "Not really," Van lied. "Ok then I will just go then," said Moonbay walking off. "By the way my name is Van. What is yours?" asked Van. "Kristi," she spoke quietly. "Now why don't we look for her," said Van taking her hand and starting to walk.  
  
"So Kristi why is it that you wanted me to help you and not Moonbay?" asked Van. "I don't know," said Kristi shyly, "I feel like I know you," she said very quietly. "Really? Now about your mother what does she look like?" asked Van. Kristi just seemed to remain quiet. "What's the matter?" asked Van. She still remained quiet. "Hmmm. Does she look a little like you?" asked Van. She seemed shocked for a second but slowly nodded her head. "That helps a little. Why wouldn't you tell me before?" asked Van. She didn't reply. "You can talk you know," said Van. She still remained quiet. "You hungry?" asked Van trying to get her to talk. She seemed to brighten up by then and said, "Yes."  
  
"Not much of a selection here but it still has some good food," said Van. "So what do you want?" asked Van. "Papaya," yelled Kristi. "Great choice. That has always been my favorite," said Van with a smirk on his face as he got two papayas for both of them. Van almost immediately ate his whole as Kristi watched. She giggled at this, causing Van to be a bit embarrassed. He got up and grabbed a drink for the two of them. "Thank you. You are nice," said Kristi. "Thanks," said Van taking a sip of his drink. "Are you married?" asked the girl making Van spit out his drink. "What," asked Van with a blush on his face. "I don't have a daddy but you can be it if you are with my mommy," said Kristi with a smile on her face. "No, but I was with someone once," said Van gaining control of himself. "Well?" asked Kristi. "I really don't think so," said Van nicely. She seemed a bit disappointed. "What happened to your father?" asked Van. "I never had one," she spoke quietly. "I'm sorry," said Van. She smiled, "It's ok," she said happily.  
  
Van found that he couldn't sleep at all that night. He found that his thoughts were stuck on Fiona because of some of the things that Kristi said. 'Are you married?' asked the little girl in his head. "Would I have been if you had stayed around Fiona?" Van asked. He had never really thought about Fiona this much in years. He had tried to put it behind him which he thought he had managed to do, and has tried to forget her but he was never able to and now he couldn't get her out of his mind. "Maybe we could have had a family of our own by now," said Van. He eventually just fell to sleep by himself but he had never gotten the thoughts out of his head.  
  
"Hey Van," came the voice of Ashley who was the girl at the bar that Van met all those years ago who was a lieutenant in the Republican army that was being stationed in the same base as Van the same day that they met. "Hey," said Van as he was still trying to help Kristi find her mother. "Who is the kid?" asked Ashley. "She was from the town that was destroyed and I am helping her to find her mother," said Van. "That is nice of you," said Ashley. "Thanks," said Van. "Listen I was wondering if you weren't doing anything later that maybe we can hang out," said Ashley. "Sorry, I can't because I am going to be busy later," said Van. "I see," said Ashley a bit disappointed because has liked Van for years now. "Maybe some other time then," asked Ashley rushing after them because they had gone ahead. "Maybe," said Van. Van was busy because he wanted to know if his suspicions about the girl were true or it could merely be a coincidence. So far though he had no clue what to think.  
  
Kristi was asleep but it wasn't a peaceful sleep for her. She ended up jumping up when she woke up screaming, "MOMMY," yelled Kristi. This waked Moonbay up because she allowed her to sleep in the second bed that was in her room. "What's wrong?" asked Moonbay. "I had a bad dream about my mommy," said Kristi as she started to cry. "It's ok," said Moonbay trying to comfort her. "Is there anything I can get you?" asked Moonbay. "Van," said Kristi quietly. "You seem to really like him," said Moonbay. "I do. I want him to be my daddy," said Kristi in a halfway cheerful tone. Moonbay chuckled at this. "I am not sure if he is up right now, but maybe we can go and see," said Moonbay taking the girls hand and helping her out of the bed.  
  
Van was trying to sleep but was woken up when he heard a knock on the door. "Go away," said Van turning over in the bed. "Van wake up," yelled Moonbay through the door. Van gave up and got out of bed. He quickly put on a shirt he got out of a drawer. He noticed a picture of him and Fiona that he had put in there a while ago but put it aside and walked to the door forgetting to close the drawer and opened it to see Moonbay and Kristi. "What's wrong?" asked Van. "She had a nightmare and for some reason wanted to see you," said Moonbay. "Ok why don't you come in?" Van asked Kristi nicely. She nodded her head and quietly walked into the room and Moonbay walked back to her room. "Can you just wait for a second while I go and get a quick cup of coffee?" asked Van. She only nodded her head again. "I will be back as soon as possible," said Van as he ran down a hall as the door closed behind him.  
  
A few minutes past and she had taken to exploring the room. She seemed amazed by a few of the things in the room likes Van's fathers knife. She noticed a drawer open and being nice she went to close it. She noticed the picture though and her curiosity got the better of her and she picked it up and looked at it. A tear fell down her face and she fell to the floor clutching the picture in her arms.  
  
Van didn't mean to take so long but he had to make a pot of coffee first and then rushed back to his room. He opened the door and walked in saying, "Sorry I took so long," said Van. He then noticed that she was crying and was holding onto something. "What's wrong?" asked Van. She looked at him and handed him back the picture. "Oh," said Van quietly. "Why are you crying over the picture?" asked Van in as nice of a voice as he could. She remained silent for a second before she muttered one word, "Mommy," said Kristi. 


	10. where's Fiona

Van was shocked. He didn't know what to think. "This is a picture of me and my friend Fiona," said Van. "She is my mommy," said Kristi very quietly that it was hard for Van to even hear. Van seemed to take on a sad face though. 'Looks like you moved on from me Fiona,' thought Van. "What's wrong?" asked Kristi looking him in the face. "It's nothing," said Van putting on a fake smile. "How do you know mommy?" asked Kristi. "Like I said we used to be good friends but I haven't seen her in years," said Van. "Since you do know her maybe you can be my daddy?" asked Kristi. "I wish but I don't think it is possible," said Van. "Why not?" asked Kristi. "It is complicated in a way," said Van.  
  
"Van what's up?" asked Moonbay upon seeing Van just standing by himself with a look like he was in deep thought. "Yeah you look troubled," said Irvine. "I found something out about the girl," said Van very seriously. "Really? What is that?" asked Moonbay. Van remained silent. "Well?" asked Irvine getting impatient. "Fiona," said van. "What about her?" asked Moonbay. "She's Kristi's mother," said Van. There was a big silence after that as everyone tried to take in all that was just said. "How do you know?" asked Moonbay. "When you brought her to me last night. She found a picture of Fiona and told me that she was her mother," said Van. "I don't believe it," said Moonbay. "Did you find out anything else about her?" asked Irvine. "No she wouldn't talk about anything else," said Van. "Fiona has a daughter now. I wonder who the father is," said Moonbay. "I want to know as well, but I also want to know where Fiona is," said Van. "Do you think that they have her?" asked Van. "It is a possibility but maybe she managed to escape them again," said Irvine. "Then wouldn't she have tried to find her daughter?" asked Moonbay. "I really don't know what to think," said Van. "I wish I did know where Fiona is though," said Van.  
  
Kristi found herself once again in Van's room again alone staring at the picture she had found the previous night. Tears were falling down her face as she recalled all that had happened when their town was attacked. Fiona's words rang clear in her head.  
  
Flashback  
  
There were explosions everywhere and everyone was in complete chaos. Holding onto her mother's hand the two ran trying to escape from some soldiers that Fiona could only guess were looking for her and she didn't want them to see her or her daughter more in specific. The two ran until they stopped at a small shelter that was in a well-hidden place. "Sweetie. I want you to stay in here and don't say a word and keep out of sight if they find this place," said Fiona to Kristi. "But mommy," whined Kristi. "No buts. Listen don't worry about me. I want to keep you safe from them. If anyone asks about me don't say a thing, ok," said Fiona. Kristi nodded her head. Fiona gave her a big hug before saying, "Don't cry please," she said upon seeing the tears in Kristi's eyes, "I promise you that I will come back just as soon as I see that you are safe," said Fiona. "I don't want you to go," said Kristi tightening her hold on Fiona. "I know you do but it will be best for both of us," said Fiona as she reluctantly let go of her daughter. She quickly ran off not looking back on her daughter because it would just make her hesitate even more.  
  
End flashback  
  
"Where are you mommy? You said you would come back," said Kristi as more tears just fell down her face. Van walked into the room at that moment and saw her in her sad state. He kneeled down before her and when she saw him she jumped into his arms and cried into his shirt. "I want my mommy," cried Kristi. "I know you do, but we have no clue where she is," said Van. This made her seem to cry even harder.  
  
Moonbay and Irvine were watching the scene from the doorway. "I feel bad for her. She doesn't know where her mother is and she doesn't have a father," said Moonbay sadly. "These guys are ruining far too many lives," said Irvine. "First they cause Fiona to run away from us and now they even caused her to run away from her own daughter," said Moonbay. "Sooner or later we are going to give these guys what is coming to them," said Irvine. "Thank for the comforting words," said Moonbay as she laid her head on Irvine's shoulder causing a small blush to appear on both of their faces.  
  
"You have failed me once again," came the cold voice of Zack. Ryan dreaded what might happen to those guys because of this. "I am sorry sir. We checked everywhere and she was nowhere in that town. We believe that our source of information might have been wrong," said a soldier who was trembling uncontrollably. "No, my sources were correct. You just didn't try hard enough and she got away," said Zack. "I-I-I am sorry sir," said the soldier starting to tremble even more. "I know of a way that you will never fail me again," said Zack pulling a gun out of one of his pockets. "Please sir, no. I only did hat you told me to," said the soldier. "Yes and you failed in a simple task because she had no one to protect her this time," said Zack. "Please sir, spare me," begged the soldier. "Did anyone tell you that I hate begging," said Zack. The mans eyes widened in fear as the gun was fired. The mans lifeless body then fell to the floor hard. "Get this scum out of my face," said Zack as another soldier came in and dragged the body out of the room and closed the door. "What are we going to do? It took us nearly five years to find it, and now we have lost track of it again," said Ryan. "We will start over again. Don't let anyone rest at all until she is found again," said Zack. "Yes sir. I will get to it at once," said Ryan walking out of the room. 'You are quite the slippery young woman,' thought Zack with a slight chuckle.  
  
There were soldiers everywhere and they were all looking for Fiona. The people were in fear that they would show up in their town and destroy it like all the others. There was one exception though. An old lady that lived out in the middle of nowhere didn't even fear these guys. She was staring out her window when she noticed a soldier was heading towards her door. When a knock on her door came she got up from her seat by the window and walked to the door and opened it. "What?" asked the old lady kind of angrily. "Ma'am, we were wondering if you have seen this woman?" asked a soldier taking out the picture of Fiona the he had been given for his search. She studied it for a second before answering, "Never seen her. Now get off my property," said the old woman. "If you know her you need to tell us," said the soldier a bit angrily. "I don't need to tell you anything, and I also don't know anything. I also warn you that I know many important people so if you try anything to me I will make you life a living hell," said the old woman. The men seemed to be taken back by her boldness. "Very well. We will leave you alone," said the soldier as he turned and left with is men. "Sir do you think that she many actually know something?" asked the soldier. "I doubt it. She just seems to be a senile old woman," said the soldier.  
  
The old woman watched them leave while overhearing all that they said. "Senile, me? Yeah right," she said as she went back into her house. Instead of going back to her seat by the window, she instead went to a door that led to one of the rooms in the house. She looked in at the still form of an unconscious young woman that was lying in the bed. 


	11. problem

Scene's flashed before her that she felt was of importance. There were pictures of her and Van before she left. When their daughter was born. There were also the bad memories like the dream she had. The scene of Van getting stabbed through the stomach seemed to be the scene that flashed through her mind the most. She felt like screaming but she couldn't make a sound just like the first time she had the dream. She just couldn't take it any more and she wanted this all to stop because it was only ruining her life and the lives of anyone around her.  
  
Fiona somehow managed to slowly open her eyes because for some reason she felt extremely weak and was having a great amount of a struggle just trying. Using as much strength as she could she made an attempt to sit up but she soon found that it was a big mistake as she fell back down to the bed in great pain. "I see you have finally awakened," came a kind voice from beside her. "Huh?" asked Fiona as she looked to see the old lady. "What am I doing here?" asked Fiona. "I found you out in the desert. You had past out from the heat and I brought you here," said the old lady. Fiona bolted upright successfully this time and said, "I am sorry but I have to go," said Fiona as she attempted to get out of the bed. The old lady lightly pushed her back down onto the bed. "What is the rush?" asked the old lady. "I will only be a burden to you," said Fiona. "You mean because of those guys that were looking for you?" asked the old lady. Fiona nodded her head. "They came by here already but left without the knowledge that you are here," said the old lady. A thought then came to Fiona's mind. "What happened to the town?" asked Fiona. "It is gone. The people were lucky though because there were only a few deaths. The rest were all taken to the red river base," said the old woman. 'That is where Van is,' thought Fiona. "Something wrong?" asked the old lady. "No," said Fiona simply. "By the way my name is Rose," said the old lady. "Mine is Fiona," said Fiona. "Well it is good to see you will be fine Fiona because you have been asleep for well over a week," said Rose. 'A week. Oh no Kristi,' thought Fiona as she tried to get up again. "You should rest for a little before you go anywhere," said Rose as she once again pushed Fiona down onto the bed. "Now rest and I will bring you something to eat," said Rose nicely as she left the room.  
  
"What is going on?" Van asked upon seeing that something was going on. "We are sending a reconnaissance to the town to see if there may be any more survivors. We are finally able to do it because they finally left the place," said Crougar.  
  
The nighttime came and Fiona found that she couldn't sleep. She was really tired but for some reason she just couldn't get to sleep. 'This woman has been really kind to me by letting me stay here and take care of me. She even told a lie to those soldiers just so they wouldn't find me. She put herself in danger and I don't want to put her in any more,' thought Fiona as she quietly got out of the bed. She quickly got changed and walked out of the room. She looked around to make sure Rose wasn't there and when she saw no one she crept towards the door. She opened it but it let off a loud squeak as it opened. Fiona cringed at the sound. She listened to try and see if it woke up the old lady and when nobody came she crept out the door.  
  
A Storm sworder flew over what was once the town. "Crougar sir. I have done my search of the area and I have found no one around that was alive," said the pilot. "Very good. Check the area surrounding the town and then return to the base," came Crougars voice over a communication link. "Yes sir," said the Storm Sworder but no reply came because all became static. "Great the communications are down. I will just have to do this without making a report later," said the pilot as the storm sworder flew out of the town and into the desert. "I doubt there will be anyone out here that is alive but I might as well go and check," said the pilot.  
  
Fiona had been traveling for a day now, and she was really starting to regret it all. She had left without any water and it was a pretty warm out the entire day. "Where will I go?" Fiona asked herself. "I have nowhere else to go. I can't go back to Van, I don't know where my daughter is, and the place that I have called my home for the past few years was destroyed," said Fiona to no one. "I also have to worry about running into any of the soldiers that are out looking for me," said Fiona. She started to feel a bit dizzy and she was growing really tired. The heat of the night was really getting to her and she also found that it was getting really hard to stay awake. She found herself losing consciousness and then everything went dark.  
  
The storm sworder was flying nearby. The pilot was looking the place over trying to spot any sign of life. He happened to spot a small figure lying in the sand. He landed the storm sworder and walked over to the figure. "She is probably dead like all of the others," said the pilot. He checked her pulse and was surprised to see that the girl had a faint pulse. 'I can't believe that she is alive after all of this time out in the desert," said the pilot as he picked up the girl and walked back to the storm sworder. "Better get her back to the base soon or she might not survive," said the pilot as he quickly hoped into the storm sworder and took off.  
  
"Have you been able to restore communication yet?" asked Crougar getting impatient at the amount of time that it was taking. It was the morning after they had lost contact with the pilot. "No sir, but I appear to have found the source of it. There appears to be a sand storm between here and the pilots last location. Until it stops we won't have any communication with him," said a soldier. "Tell me when you have restored contact," said Crougar as he walked out of the room.  
  
He looked at the people that were still at the base and felt bad. Van approached him and asked him a question. "Sir, what are you planning to do with them because I know that they won't be able to stay here forever," said Van. "We are planning to send them to New Helic City. It is safe there because there are many military bases near there," said Crougar. "I see," said Van. "Why do you ask?" asked Crougar. "No reason," said Van as he saluted and walked away. When Van was out of sight another soldier approached Crougar and he seemed to be in a hurry. "What is it?" asked Crougar. "Sir the Storm Sworder has just come back," said the soldier. Crougar ran to the hanger because he didn't think that the pilot would be back so soon.  
  
Running into the hanger he found the storm sworder just entering. It hit the ground and the pilot got out of the storm sworder almost immediately. From what Crougar could see he was carrying someone. He came down the ladder as fats as he could with the girl still in his arms. He came up to where the pilot was. The person he had brought down was lying on the ground and was still out of it. Crougar approached the girl and took a look at her. "It can't be," said Crougar. "Go get a doctor," ordered Crougar to a soldier. The soldier then immediately ran out of the hanger. "You. Go and get Flyheight now,' he ordered another soldier that was nearby. "Yes sir," said the soldier also running out of the hanger at full speed.  
  
Van watched in amusement as Kristi played with a ball with Zeke. She kicked the ball and it went up and hit Zeke in the face. At this Van could barely hold in his laughter. Kristi grabbed the ball and came over to Van. "Play with me," she said grabbing his hand and trying to pull him out to play with the ball with her. "Major Flyheight," yelled a voice from one of the halls. Van looked to see a soldier running towards him. "What is it?" asked Van curious as to why he wanted to see him. "Crougar wants you to come to the hanger immediately," said the soldier. "What does he want?" asked Van. "I don't know. He just told me to get you," said the soldier. "Very well," said Van as he started to walk towards the hanger. "Wait," yelled Kristi running after him.  
  
"What is it that you want sir?" asked Van when he saw Crougar waiting for him. "Van come with me," said Crougar leading Van towards the storm sworder. "The Storm Sworder we sent out to find survivors came back a few minutes ago with one," said Crougar. "Ok," said Van slightly confused. "You should see who it is," said Crougar as he stopped in front of the girl who was now on a small bed. Van looked around Crougar at the girl. His eyes only widened when he saw her. "Fiona," Van whispered upon seeing her. 


	12. mixed emotions

It was quiet for a while until the sounds of Zeke walking up to them brought Van back to reality. 'I can't believe she is here,' thought Van. Kristi who had come with Zeke had not yet noticed Fiona laying on the ground. "What's wrong?" she asked. Van looked at her but didn't say a word and looked back at the unconscious Fiona. She was curious as to what he was looking at and looked in that direction only to see Fiona. A tear fell from her eye and she ran up to Fiona. Before she got there Crougar put a hand on her shoulder to try and stop her. "You shouldn't be here little girl. Why don't you go with everyone else for now?" said Crougar nicely. "Let me go," said Kristi pulling out from his hand and running up to Fiona. "Mommy. Mommy wake up," pleaded Kristi with more tears running down her face. "You're this woman's daughter?" asked Crougar this time putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. She nodded yes. "Don't worry she will be fine. She is just a little exhausted right now," said Crougar. She looked at him and seemed happy by what he said. Crougar smiled at this. He looked at the girl and he noticed something else familiar about this girl but he couldn't place it. At that moment the doctors arrived and took Fiona off to the sickbay with Kristi following right after them.  
  
Van found himself wondering in daze not yet willing himself to go to the sickbay to see Fiona yet. 'She is back now so what are you going to do?" asked a voice in his head. "I don't know," Van said to himself. 'Are you going to let her get away from you again?' the voice asked. Van started to get frustrated with himself then. "She can go for all I care. She did it before," Van said softly. 'I know you don't mean that. You have been waiting for this for the past few years, and now you are just going to let her go without even going to see her first. I know you want to,' said the voice again. Van didn't know what he was going to do. He was angry at Fiona for leaving him before and breaking his heart. Yet he was sort of happy at the moment because he could actually see her again. 'You had best go and see her when she wakes up or you may never see her again if she leaves,' came the voice again. "I guess I should go and see her, but I don't know," Van said as he continued to walk in his daze.  
  
Thomas happened to be walking by the area Van was in and he noticed the look on his face. "What's wrong Van?" asked Thomas curious as to what Van was doing. Van didn't reply and didn't even seem to even notice him. "Hello, Van snap out of it," said Thomas waving a hand in front of Van's face. Van suddenly snapped out of his thoughts and stared at Thomas. "You don't look to good," said Thomas. "Really. I guess I didn't notice. "You didn't seem to be noticing anything with the way you were walking," said Thomas. "I just have a lot on my mind," said Van. "Like what?" asked Thomas. "Fiona," said Van still in a sort of daze. "What about her?" asked Thomas. "She's back," said Van and he just walked off after that. Thomas just stood in the same position for about a minute before everything that Van had said started to process into his mind. "Fiona is back," said Thomas with a smile appearing on his face. He immediately ran off. He went to find Crougar because he wanted to see if this was true and wanted to know what happened that brought her back. "Yes it is true," said Crougar when Thomas asked. "Then it is true miss Fiona is back," said Thomas all happy. "We sent a pilot to the town to see if he could find survivors and ended up finding Fiona a number of miles outside of town," said Crougar. "If you want to see her she is in the sickbay but I warn you that she is unconscious at the moment," said Crougar. "Thank you sir," said Thomas walking off.  
  
There was nothing to do at the and Moonbay and Irvine were enjoying a nice game of cards. Suddenly Thomas burst into the room completely exhausted. "There you two are," said Thomas catching his breath. "What's up?" asked Moonbay looking away from her cards. "Yeah, with the way you are acting you would think that Fiona came back," said Irvine jokingly. Thomas looked at them and said, "She has." Moonbay and Irvine sat up from their seats rather quickly sending them to the floor. "You have to be kidding me," said Moonbay. "No. We sent out a pilot to check the area where the town once was and he found Fiona a number of miles outside of town unconscious," said Thomas as the three of them ran out of the room. "She was just brought in and is still unconscious in the sickbay," said Thomas finishing informing them on what was going on. "Does Van know?" asked Moonbay. "He's the one that told me," said Thomas, "He seemed to be in a sort of daze the whole time though," said Thomas. "I guess it isn't really much of a surprise for that," said Irvine. "Yeah. He took her leaving the hardest. So I guess it has come as a bit of a shock that she just suddenly came back," said Moonbay. "I'll say he didn't even seem to notice me when I called out for him," said Thomas. "Let's hurry because I want to see Fiona," said Moonbay trying to run even faster.  
  
Upon arriving at the area where Fiona was, they all noticed that Van was just standing outside the door. "Why aren't you going in Van?" asked Moonbay curious as to why he was out there. "I don't know. I guess it is just that I don't know whether to be happy to see her or be mad that she left all those years ago," said Van. "Give it a break Van. It was in the past and I bet she might be glad to see you," said Moonbay. "How can you be so sure about that?" asked Van. "I can't but you will never know unless you go see her," said Moonbay. Van didn't respond but he just looked down at the floor. Suddenly he just started to walk away. "Where are you going Van?" asked Irvine. "You can see her. I will go later," said Van a little roughly. He walked down the hall and out of sight. "What is his problem? You think he would be happy to know that miss Fiona is here," said Thomas. "I don't think that is it. I think there may have been something else behind his reaction to all of this," said Moonbay. "Like what?" asked Irvine. "I think there was more to her leaving than any of us know except Van," said Moonbay. "What do you think that is?" asked Irvine. "I don't know, but I am sure that Fiona does," said Moonbay.  
  
Fiona slowly began to regain consciousness but never opened her eyes. So many thoughts were going through her head. 'Where am I? Could those people have found me?' those were only a few that were going through her head and she was afraid of what she would see if she opened her eyes. She however was sort of curious and she slowly opened her eyes. What she saw was another pair of crimson eyes staring right back at her. For the next few seconds she just allowed her eyesight to adjust to the light. "Mommy," yelled a voice and the next thing she knew a small pair of arms. Fiona could now see clearly and she saw her daughter with her arms wrapped around her. "Kristi," said Fiona wrapping her arms around her daughter. "I was scared, I didn't know where you were," Kristi said as some tears ran down her face. "It is ok. I am here now," said Fiona with just as much running down her face. It was then that Fiona noticed her surroundings. "Where are we?" asked Fiona. "Some base," said Kristi never letting go of Fiona. "Has anyone tried to hurt you?" asked Fiona looking over her daughter. "No, but this nice man has been real nice to me," said Kristi. Fiona then cut out the thought that those people had captured her because they would never be nice. "Really? then maybe I should thank him," said Fiona happy that she was ok. "Yeah, mister Van is real nice," said Kristi with a smile crossing her face. A small look of horror crossed Fiona's face. "V.Van," stuttered Fiona. "Yeah," said Kristi. 'Oh no. I don't think I am ready to face him,' thought Fiona dreading what would happen when she did have to. She knew it would be inevitable since she now knew where she was. 'He is probably mad at me and I really don't blame him,' thought Fiona. She was brought out of her thoughts with the door opening.  
  
Moonbay and the others walked into the room and noticed that Fiona was now awake. "Moonbay, Irvine, Thomas," said Fiona with a sort of relieved face on her. "Yeah. Van was going to come but he seemed upset about something," said Moonbay walking up to Fiona's bedside. 'I thought so,' thought Fiona. "Which brings up one big question that I know you know the answer to. Why?" asked Moonbay. Fiona took on a serious expression on her face and looked at Kristi. "Sweetie can you go and play with Zeke somewhere. I need to talk to me friends alone," said Fiona as nicely as she could. She seemed reluctant but she nodded her head and walked out of the room. Moonbay looked at the girl leaving the room. "You want to know?" asked Fiona. "Yeah," said Moonbay. "I asked Kristi to leave because she doesn't need to know this at the moment," said Fiona. "Why?" asked Moonbay. Then a thought seemed to strike Moonbay and the rest out of nowhere. "She's Van's, isn't she?" asked Moonbay a bit surprised. Fiona just nodded her head. "Something happened between me and Van the night that I left," said Fiona. "No wonder why he seemed to upset," said Irvine in a nit of a shock. "I had planned to leave before that but Van tried to stop me. One thing just seemed to lead to another," said Fiona. "Why did you leave?" asked Thomas. "I didn't want Van to get killed by keeping on protecting me," said Fiona. "You shouldn't have left because you should have seen the pathetic state he was in the next few months," said Thomas. "I know and it just makes me so sad to think what I might have done to him. I wish I can make it up to him," said Fiona. "You can. Just don't leave," said Moonbay. "I have to go," said Fiona. "No you aren't, because aren't going to let you," said Moonbay. "But," said Fiona. "No buts about it. Your daughter seems to like it here. Do you want to take it from her?" asked Fiona. "I guess not," said Fiona. "And besides. Do you really think that running away is the answer. I am pretty sure he will try to protect you forever. You wanted to protect him from being killed by them because they are after you, but he is fighting them and they are after you. One word that they have you and I am sure that van would have come to your rescue anyways. So any way you look at it, it won't change him from his ways of protecting you," said Moonbay. "Maybe," said Fiona.  
  
Van somehow found himself back to the door that held Fiona behind it. He was hesitant but for some reason he couldn't stop himself and he reached out to open the door but a voice from behind him stopped him. "Hey Van. What are you doing?" came the voice of Ashley. "I don't know," said Van with a sad look on his face. He just decided to come out with it. "An old friend of mine was just brought in," said Van. By the look on his face Ashley knew who he was talking about because she had heard about her many times. "I see," she said sadly. "I just don't know what to do," said Van. "You should see her and talk to her," said Ashley. "I guess said Van, "But I don't know what to talk about," said Van. "I don't know either but maybe you should talk to her about anything," said Ashley pushing him towards the door. "Thanks. I do have a few things that I have to get off my chest," said Van. She knew it would happen eventually. 'This stinks,' she thought. Van slowly reached for the door. It opened and he slowly walked into the room. 


	13. broken reunion

Fiona and the others seemed to be in a good discussion when the door opened. They all looked towards it to see Van standing right in the doorway with a look of seriousness on his face. Fiona immediately tried to look the other way. "Maybe we should be going," said Irvine grabbing Moonbay and Thomas. "That might be a good idea," said Moonbay. "Right. We will be going then," said Thomas and they left the room quietly. All seemed to be really quiet after that. The two just stood there silently not even trying to say a thing. Fiona then had enough of the silence and spoke but she ended up speaking very quietly. "Van I." said Fiona but she couldn't think of what to say exactly. "What?" asked Van rather harshly. "I guess I understand why you are angry at me," said Fiona looking at the floor. "No, you don't," said Van in an angry tone. "You have all the right to be angry at me," said Fiona. "I guess I do," said Van. "I'm sorry Van," said Fiona. Van didn't say anything. The two just seemed to stare at anything besides each other.  
  
"Can either of you hear anything?" asked Moonbay as the three of them stood by the door listening in. "No. they are talking way too quietly," said Thomas. "Will both of you shut up or they might hear us," growled Irvine. The two of them then shut up. Ashley just stood off to the side watching the three of them doing this. "Don't you think they would want to be alone and not have people listening in on them?" asked Ashley. The three of them just ignored her. "Fine, don't listen to me. You will be the ones to get in trouble if you are caught," said Ashley. They still ignored her. She narrowed her eyes at them and then walked away mumbling to herself.  
  
The silence surrounding them was starting to really get to them. "Van please you have to understand," said Fiona quietly. "Why should I? You just left after what happened between us even after you knew what might happen if you did," said Van. "Van. I knew what I was doing, but it still hurt me a lot," said Fiona. "Not as much as it hurt me. It took me months to even start to get over it," said Van rather harshly. "Van you have no idea how hard it was for me," said Fiona. "Obviously not hard enough," said Van. Fiona was confused with what he was saying. "You seemed to get over me just fine, and were able to move on quickly," said Van. Fiona then realized what he was talking about. 'Hasn't he even realized yet about Kristi?' Fiona asked herself. Van then turned around and headed for the door. "Was everything that night a lie?" asked Van. "No," said Fiona quickly. "How?" asked Van. Fiona seemed to remain quiet. "Fine then," said Van continuing to walk towards the door. "Van, wait," Fiona yelled after him. "No. I waited long enough for you to come back all those years ago," said Van opening the door. All three of the eavesdroppers ended up falling to the floor. "You guys were listening in?" asked Van his temper rising. This made him even madder and he just stormed out of the room. They looked after him as he went through the halls. "Why didn't you tell him Fiona?" asked Moonbay. "I never got the chance to," said Fiona as a tear fell down face. She just sat there looking at the area where Van once stood.  
  
Van stormed through the halls ignoring anyone that was trying to talk to him or else he didn't even hear them. He went in his rage to his room and just stood near the door after it had closed. The anger that he once had seemed to melt away leaving him greatly upset. 'Way to go pinhead," Van thought to himself as he laid against the wall. 'That is not how I would have dreamt it would go when I saw Fiona again,' Van thought. "How could it have gone so horribly wrong," he said. Van was losing his temper again this time at his self. 'Why," said Van through gritted teeth as he punched the wall sending his hand right into it. Van carefully pulled his hand out of the wall. What he saw was that it was blood everywhere over his hand and a big hole in the wall. "Great," said Van as he went to get a first aid kit that he had in his room.  
  
A few minutes later after his hand was patched up Van walked out of his room and headed towards the hanger. He didn't notice though that he walked right past Irvine. "Don't you think that you were a little rude to Fiona?" asked Irvine startling Van a little. Van looked at Irvine then just continued to walk on. "Well?" asked Irvine running to catch up with Van. "It is none of your business," said Van not even looking at Irvine. "You should have at least have listened to her. I know she had something that she wanted to say to you badly," said Irvine. "What?" asked Van this time looking at Irvine. "I am not going to tell you. You will have to listen to Fiona if you want to learn what it is," said Irvine. "I don't want to see her right now," said Van. "Listen Van. Fiona seems pretty devastated right now by some of the things that you said to her," said Irvine. Although Van didn't show it he did feel bad for saying those things. Van just kept walking ahead of Irvine. "Are you really that heartless?" asked Irvine. "I just need time to think," said Van. "You are being a real jerk do you know that?" asked Irvine. "I guess I am," said Van in an emotionless tone. Irvine just stared at Van as he walked off.  
  
Van just sat in the cockpit of the liger looking over the controls trying to find anything wrong with the liger just to try and get Fiona out of his mind. He was so deep in thought though that he didn't even notice the knocking coming from the canopy. Only when the pounding became even louder did he actually take notice. He looked up to see the stern face of Ashley looking back at him. "What do you want?" asked Van opening up the cockpit. "To talk to you," said Ashley keeping her stern face. "If it is about Fiona, forget it," said Van. "Listen Van. I may not even know Fiona but I know that you aren't being fair to her by not listening to her," said Ashley. "I already got this lecture from Irvine so go away," said Van rather harshly. He was about to close the canopy but she stopped him. "Talk to her. I am sure you may not be too disappointed," said Ashley, "By the way what happened to your hand," she said noticing the bandages on Van's hand. "I put it through a wall," said Van in an emotionless tone. "Ouch," said Ashley. "You really should talk to her," said Ashley leaving the area. Van closed the canopy and just sat there long after she left. Van couldn't seem to take all of this. Then he made a decision.  
  
Fiona couldn't help but cry. Van hated her and wouldn't even talk to her. Moonbay tried her best but couldn't get her to calm down. "Fiona it will be ok," said Moonbay nicely. This didn't stop Fiona from crying. Moonbay didn't know what to do. She was planning on going and dragging Van back here to apologize when the door opened and Van walked in. Fiona noticed him and calmed down a little but tears still fell down her face. "I will leave you two alone," said Moonbay walking out of the room but stop to give Van a warning glare, which he just ignored.  
  
When she was gone there was silence in the room. Fiona thought that now was the best time to tell the truth or she would never be able to. "Well I am listening," said Van. Fiona was glad that he didn't sound angry. For some reason though she didn't have any idea how to tell him what she wanted to. "Van there is something you really need to know," said Fiona. "Well what is it?" asked Van. "I am not telling you this to try and get you back or anything because I know for a fact that things will never be the same as they were a few years ago," said Fiona. "ok. Just tell me what it is?" asked Van. "Van regardless of what you think. I was never able to move on with my life when I left. I never moved on to another person I stayed lonely all these years except for Kristi," said Fiona. "What do you mean?" asked Van. "Van, Kristi is my daughter you know that, but the thing is that she is your daughter as well," said Fiona looking the other way not wanting to see his expression. Van however had an expression of pure shock on his face. He was speechless. He just couldn't believe it. Kristi was their daughter. She was the daughter of him and Fiona. Fiona finally looked at his face and noticed the shock in it. Finally he was able to speak. "I'm sorry," said Van, "I should have listened to you before but I just kept coming up with accusations," said Van. He started towards the door. Van started to walk towards the door. He stopped at the door and spoke without even turning around. "I may have said I was sorry but you were right. Things never will be the same again even if she is our daughter," said Van sternly as he opened the door and walked out of the room very silently. Fiona had expected this but couldn't help but let more tears fall. 


	14. the plan

Van just sat against a wall watching Kristi and Zeke playing with each other. 'She is my daughter,' Van thought in a sort of disbelief. Van gave a small chuckle. 'To think that she wanted me to be her father and I actually was,' he thought. Van wasn't sure if Fiona had told her yet, but he wasn't going to ask because he felt that Fiona should explain. "Fiona told you didn't she?" asked Thomas walking up from behind Van. "Yeah," said Van. "She doesn't know it yet," said Thomas. "I figured that. I am just going to let Fiona tell her instead of me," said Van. "I think that that will probably be best," said Thomas. "I know," said Van.  
  
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now?" asked Zack to the frightened soldier right in front of him. "Please forgive us sir. We checked every house in the surrounding area and did a thorough search of the area surrounding it. There was no one there," said the soldier. "Then some one must have been lying to you," said Zack in a matter of fact way. "Because considering the area is a desert for a great many miles around it they wouldn't have gotten very far," said Zack. "Sir we are starting a search of the closest city around it just in case she did manage to get through the desert," said the nervous soldier. "There is no need," said Ryan entering the room. "Why is there no need," asked a curious Zack. "She is at a military base right now," said Ryan. "Really? It is amazing how fast you found out when it took them weeks to just look and not find her," said Zack making the soldier even more nervous. "That was the good news but the bad news is that she is in the same base as Van Flyheight," said Ryan. "He really is a thorn in my side," said Zack although he didn't sound too angry. In fact he sounded rather amused. "Funny that things should end up this way again, but they wouldn't have if you had just done your job," said Zack looking at the soldier. The soldier was getting more and more scared. Next thing he knew Zack pulled out a gun and shot him. "Idiots," he mumbled as the man fell to the ground.  
  
Van found that he was having a hard time concentrating on the work that he was doing on the blade liger. Fiona walked into the hanger and Van seemed to be looking at her every few seconds even if he tried not to. Fiona was currently talking with Moonbay at that time. 'Damn it Van. Get your mind back to your work. It is over between you and Fiona,' Van thought to himself. Yet it still didn't seem to be enough because his eyes kept on darting towards Fiona.  
  
Fiona seemed to be having the same problem as Van. She couldn't stop looking at him. She seemed to be unaware that Moonbay was talking to her. "Hello, Fiona," said Moonbay waving a hand in front of Fiona's face. "Huh? What?" asked Fiona snapping back to reality. Moonbay just looked at her like she was crazy or something and continued to talk. The problem only continued.  
  
Thomas who happened to be working on the dibison happened to witness the glances that the two were giving each other. One would look at the other when the other wasn't looking and when they looked away the other one would look. For him it was really starting to get on his nerves. 'Something really needs to be done about those two,' Thomas thought to himself. He wasn't as infatuated with Fiona as much now a days but it hurt him to see her like that. A beeping coming from beak brought Thomas back to the work at hand when he realized what he was doing to the dibison when he was watching the two of them. "Oh no," said Thomas getting back on track with what he was doing.  
  
"Hey Moonbay, Irvine," yelled Thomas trying to catch up to him. "What's up?" asked Irvine. "Have you guys noticed what has been going on between Van and Fiona?" asked Thomas looking at both of them. "It's starting to get annoying isn't it," said Irvine. "I'll say. I was trying to have a talk with Fiona but she kept spacing out and looking at Van," said Moonbay. "Van was also doing the exact same thing," said Thomas. "Those two are too stubborn. They obviously still have feelings for each other but they won't admit it especially Van," said Moonbay. "We have to do something about them," said Thomas. "I say we play a little matchmaking," said Moonbay. "I think that is a good idea. If they would at least talk to each other again maybe we would actually be able to go on with our lives," said Thomas. "How to do it is the question," said Irvine. "I think I may have an idea," said Moonbay with a wide grin all over her face. Somehow Thomas and Irvine were both a little freaked out by it.  
  
Van found that he could finally concentrate on getting his work done now that Fiona had left the hanger. "You just have to get over her Van," Van said softly to himself. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice Irvine walking up behind him until it was too late and Irvine had him in a headlock. "Hey let me go," yelled Van struggling and failing to get out of the headlock. "I don't think so. There is something that I need you to do for me," said Irvine. "What?" asked Van a little annoyed. "I need you to help me with something but I need you to come with me into town to do it," said Irvine. Van was a little suspicious about this but knew that Irvine wouldn't let go unless he did it. "Fine," said Van loosening up a bit. "Good. Now come on," said Irvine still holding on to Van and dragging him towards a vehicle he had waiting. "You can let me go now," said Van. "And take the chance of you trying to escape before you help me. Forget it," said Irvine. 'Great,' thought Van. 'Not using zoids should decreases the chance of the two being found by those people in the city because more than likely those soldiers will be looking for Van's blade liger,' thought Irvine. 'Step one complete. Now it is up to you Moonbay,' thought Irvine.  
  
"Oh Fiona," said Moonbay in as nice a tone as possible. "Yeah?" asked Fiona. "I was wondering if you would like to come into the city with me for a girls night out," said Moonbay. "I don't know," said Fiona. "Come on. Don't be a party pooper," said Moonbay with a grin. "I should really be looking after Kristi," said Fiona. "Don't worry about that. I talked to Thomas and he said he would be glad to look after her," said Moonbay. "So lets go," said Moonbay pulling Fiona. "Fine," said Fiona walking on her own this time. "What are we going to do?" asked Fiona. "You will find out once we get into town," said Moonbay.  
  
"Irvine you had best have a good reason for stopping me from my work to help you with something, and what is this something?" asked Van. "You will find out once we reach the town, but it is really important that it must be done," said Irvine. Van still felt a little suspicious about his plans. 'Why am I going along with this?" Van asked himself. 'There is something weird about what Irvine is up to. Why won't he tell me what he wants help with?' thought Van. 'This had best work because I can tell that Van is getting really annoyed,' thought Irvine looking at Van. 'Please let this work,' Irvine thought. 


	15. project matchmaking: part 1

Van found himself in a rather large city with Irvine practically dragging him all the way. For him it was becoming really annoying. Irvine wasn't telling him anything about what was going on. In fact he wasn't really talking at all. All he was doing was dragging Van to some unknown place. "Irvine will you just tell me what you need help with?" asked Van. "No. Not yet," Irvine said simply. Van gave off an annoyed growl but continued to let Irvine drag him. 'This had better be good,' thought Van.  
  
"Where are we going?" asked Fiona. "You'll see," said Moonbay with a wide grin all over her face. She had on that grin since they left the base and Fiona was starting to feel a little uncomfortable with it. 'What is she up to?' Fiona asked herself. 'This is going to be great. We are going to get them back together so that everything will be like before,' thought Moonbay as her grin if possible got even wider. Fiona saw this and slightly backed away from Moonbay. Moonbay noticed this. "What's up?" asked Moonbay with the grin still on her face. "Nothing," said Fiona backing away even more.  
  
"Alright Irvine. If you don't tell me what this is all about now. I swear that I will hurt you," said Van once they stopped in the middle of a park. "You will find out soon. All we need to do now is wait for a friend of mine to get here then we will get started," said Irvine. "What is it that we are doing?" asked Van in a threatening way. "Just wait," Irvine said trying to keep his cool under the pressure. He didn't show it but Van was actually starting to scare him a little with how impatient he was getting. 'Where are you Moonbay?' Irvine thought.  
  
"What are we doing in the park?" asked Fiona noticing her surroundings. "We are meeting a friend then we will have some fun," said Moonbay. "Who?" asked Fiona getting a little suspicious. "You'll see," said Moonbay. "There they are," said Moonbay. Fiona looked but she didn't see anyone. "Where?" asked Fiona still not seeing anyone. "Follow me," said Moonbay grabbing Fiona's hand and dragging her in one direction. 'What now?' Fiona asked herself.  
  
"There they are," said Irvine upon seeing Moonbay. Van looked and saw Moonbay and she was dragging someone behind her but Van couldn't see who it was because there weren't many lights around and it was nighttime. "What's Moonbay doing here?" Van asked Irvine. "Helping out," said Irvine with a smirk on his face. Van then heard Moonbay yell, "I'm here." "We can see that," said Irvine walking up to them. "Who is that you have with you Moonbay?" asked Van still not able to see who it was. Fiona who was behind Moonbay trying to pick herself up after being dragged didn't hear Van. "You want to see?" asked Moonbay her grin widening even more. Van wondered if it might stick with how wide she was grinning. "Yeah," said Van but cautiously and quietly. Irvine and Moonbay looked at each other and smiled. Moonbay then grabbed Fiona's hand and pulled her out behind her back and threw her at Van who caught her. Van looked down and noticed that it was Fiona. "Fiona?" asked Van. "Huh?" asked Fiona in a little daze from being thrown. "Van?" said Fiona noticing him. "Hey, what is going on?" asked Van looking at Irvine and Moonbay. They were both grinning now as they circled around the two of them. Irvine pulled something out of his pocket and hid it behind his back before Van or Fiona could see it. "What is going on?" Van asked again a little more dangerously. "We don't like how the two of you are acting around each other lately so we decided to do something," said Moonbay. "Forget it," said Van trying to walk away. "Oh no you don't said Irvine grabbing Van's wrist and pulling him back to Fiona. He kept his other hand behind his back. "Let me go," said Van struggling to get out of his grasp. "No," said Irvine simply. Fiona had the same idea and tried to walk away but Moonbay also grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. Irvine and Moonbay threw the two together and just looked at them.  
  
Thomas just looked on as the Kristi looked at him. "Why are you looking after me? Where is mommy? Where is Van?" asked Kristi. The girl kept asking him questions. 'Why did I get stuck babysitting?' Thomas asked himself. "Well they are busy at the moment so they asked me to look after you," lied Thomas because Moonbay and Irvine didn't really ask. It was more like they forced him to do this. "Oh ok," said Kristi happily as she went back to play with Zeke. 'Like I said. Why is it I got suckered into doing all the babysitting?' Thomas asked himself. He was starting to become tired. It may still be very early in the night but he was getting tired. He closed his eyes for a second but then he heard footsteps approaching him and it stopped right in front of him. Thomas opened his eyes to see who was standing in front of him.  
  
"Alright you had better move out of the way in three seconds or I am going to have to get rough on you," Van warned Irvine and Moonbay. "One, two, three," said Van as he charged at the two trying to get by but they seemed to easily block off his path. "Not until you settle your differences," said Moonbay. "Yeah. What is going on between you two is starting to get annoying. So you should just kiss and make up," said Irvine. Van looked at Fiona who didn't speak and then looked away. "Forget it," said Van quietly. "Then you leave us no choice," said Moonbay looking at Irvine. The two of them stepped forward and each grabbed one of the Van and Fiona's wrists. "Let go," said Van struggling to get out of Irvine's grip. "Let me go Moonbay," Fiona finally said. "You brought this on yourselves," said Irvine with a glint in his eyes. He then pulled out the thing that was behind his back. "What's that?" asked Van trying to get a good look at what it was. He learned soon enough as it was snapped around their wrists. They were handcuffs. "Now you two will have to stay together until you can settle your differences," said Moonbay. "I am going to kill you guys," said Van charging for them but was pulled back because Fiona didn't move. The two of them ended up falling to the ground. "That threat will do you no good because only we know where the key is," said Moonbay. Van then grunted in defeat. "Now we have plans for you two tonight," said Moonbay.  
  
"I think that it was nice of you to do this when they were out," said Ashley to Thomas. "It isn't like I really had a choice. Irvine and Moonbay basically forced me to do this. They are trying to play matchmaker to get Van and Fiona back together," said Thomas. "I see," said Ashley in a disappointed tone. 'I lost. Oh well. Even if they won't admit it. I know they still have string feelings for each other,' thought Ashley. "I still think that it was a very kind thing to do," said Ashley. "I was forced to," Thomas reminded her. "I realize that, but you are at least trying to help," said Ashley in a rather cheery voice. Thomas just looked at her like she was a bit crazy. Everyone knew she had feelings for Van. Yet she seemed happy what Irvine and Moonbay were doing. ' Yeah she is crazy,' thought Thomas. "You are so serious. You need to lighten up a little," said Ashley. "What do you mean?" asked Thomas. "I am saying that I am trying to have a good conversation with you, but you won't get into it," said Ashley. "So cheer up and look on the brighter side of what you have to do," she continued. "I guess," said Thomas. 


	16. project matchmaking: part 2

Van really didn't know what he was going to do. He was handcuffed to Fiona, and Moonbay and Irvine were the only ones that could let them out. 'Why is this happening to me?' Van asked himself. "Why don't you two talk and settle your differences. Because we aren't going to let you out until things are back to normal between you two," said Moonbay. "That is impossible," said Fiona not even looking at Van but only looking at the floor. "Sure it is. All we need to do is find what originally brought you together," said Moonbay. "No," said Fiona more seriously. "Why?" asked Irvine. "Me and Van both know that it can never be like it used to be," said Fiona seriously but what they didn't know was that she was trying to hold back tears as she admitted this. In her heart though she did wish that things could go back to normal but she knew that they couldn't. "Well we can at least try," said Moonbay happily. 'These two just don't get the point,' thought Van. He tried to slide his hand out of the cuffs but it was to no avail. 'oh man. This cannot get any worse,' thought Van. Van then had an idea that could get them out of the cuffs. "Moonbay what if one of us has to go to the bathroom?" asked Van smiling. "Beats me. You have to decide that," said Moonbay not giving a care. Van ended up hitting his head with his free hand. 'Great,' he thought. 'This is going to be a long night,' thought Van.  
  
Thomas couldn't stop laughing. Ashley was telling him things in which he couldn't help but laugh. "One time I was planning to pull a prank on someone when I was a kid, and let's just say he was never the same again. He wouldn't stop bugging me at one point so I decided to get even with a prank. I am good at mixing things together so I took some food and added a little thing to it to embarrass him. I said I gave it to him as a peace offering and he actually took it. It worked like a charm too. For the next week he was awfully quiet," said Ashley. "Why is that?" asked Thomas. "Because due to my little prank every time he tried to talk he would end up farting. No one would go near him until it had ended," said Ashley breaking out in laughter. Thomas was laughing enough earlier but with this he just couldn't control himself and was rolling on the floor laughing his head off. "That taught him not to mess with me. He was never mean to me again," said Ashley positively beaming. Thomas just continued to laugh.  
  
"Here is our first stop," said Moonbay with a wide smile on her face. They had come up to a really fancy restaurant. "This place must cost a fortune," said Van eyeing the place. "I had better not be paying for it," said Van. "We brought you two so we will be paying for the meal," said Moonbay. "All you two have to do is eat and talk," said Irvine. "Uh we have a problem," said Van. "What is it?" asked Irvine. "If it is a fancy restaurant don't we need to be dressed properly?" asked Van thinking he got them with this one. "No. it may look fancy but it isn't. Everything is just for looks. It is more of a casual restaurant," said Moonbay. 'They have really thought this through,' thought Van. "I really don't want to," said Fiona. "Well tough luck we are the ones that are calling the shots here," said Irvine. Then Moonbay and Irvine dragged the two into the restaurant.  
  
Van just sat there with Fiona sitting very quietly right beside him. Irvine and Moonbay had taken a seat at a different table but within view of Van and Fiona's table to keep an eye on them. "Those two are being far too stubborn," said Moonbay. "Lets just see how long they will last in their current situation," said Irvine. "I give it a few hour," said Moonbay who had laid her head on the table from watching the quietness that was going on between the two. "No I give it about a day," said Irvine. "Want to make a bet on it?" asked Moonbay. "You're on, but what will the prize be?" asked Irvine. "Don't know," said Moonbay. "How about the loser takes the winner out to dinner?" asked Moonbay. "Fine," said Moonbay happily. The two then shook on it and then watched the two with interest. "There is no way that you are going to win this bet," said Irvine. "We'll see," said Moonbay with neither of them taking their eyes off Van and Fiona.  
  
Van and Fiona just so happened to be listening in on the two of them as they made their bets. 'Great now they are making bets on us,' thought an aggravated Van. The whole time Van and Fiona were not talking to each other but for some reason Van knew that Fiona was thinking the same thing. How he knew he couldn't quite figure out. Irvine and Moonbay now seemed to be having a heated argument between them over who would be the one to win the bet and almost the entire restaurant turned to look at them but Van and Fiona remained sitting the way they were. The two started to yell louder and louder. 'Pretend like you don't know them and you will be fine,' Van thought getting slightly annoyed with the two of them. A waiter then brought them their orders but also asked them, "Do you know them since you came in with them?" asked the waiter. "Never seen them before in my life," said Van with a smile. He could tell that the waiter wasn't convinced with what he said. The yelling now turned pretty much into screaming between the two but Fiona didn't even seem bothered by it. Suddenly there was a loud thump and the entire restaurant gasped. "Oh no," said Van not even looking. "What?" asked Fiona finally talking. "I think they killed each other," said Van. "That is not good," said Fiona in a worried tone. "Yeah. Now we will never get out of the handcuffs," said Van sadly. Fiona was surprised. She was worried about her friend's lives and Van was worried about not getting out of the handcuffs. 'Does he really want to get away from me that badly?' Fiona asked herself sadly. The two of them looked back afraid of what they would see. What they did see really scared them. Irvine and Moonbay were lying on their table making out. "Weren't they trying to get us back together?" asked Van in an astonished tone. "I think so," said Fiona the same way. They then continued to look on at the two continuing to make out despite the waiters pleas for them to stop.  
  
Kristi walked up to Thomas and Ashley as they were laughing at more of the things Ashley did in the past. "What is so funny?" asked Kristi in a really sweet voice. "It is nothing," said Thomas trying to control his laughing but failing miserably. "Who are you?" she then asked Ashley. "I am Ashley. I am a friend of Van's," said Ashley nicely. Kristi then started to stare at her intently. "What do I have something on my face?" asked Ashley trying to wipe away whatever it was. Kristi giggled at this. "You're funny," said Kristi still giggling. 'No kidding,' thought Thomas. "Thank you," said Ashley in a proud manner. Kristi went into another fit of giggles with that. "Hey. Do you want me to tell you something cool?" Ashley asked Kristi. "Yeah," said a very happy Kristi. "Come here then," said Ashley taking Kristi by the hand and walking to an area a few feet away. A few seconds later Kristi broke out into a fit of laughter, like Thomas was a few minutes ago. "What did you do?" asked Thomas when Ashley came back. "Kids are easily amused by the smallest things at times in my opinion. I told her a small joke and she broke out laughing," said Ashley chuckling a little. A smile crossed Thomas's face. 'Wow. She is funny and she is good with children,' thought Thomas with a smirk crossing his face. "What's up?" asked Ashley seeing the look on his face. "Nothing, nothing at all," said Thomas. "Ok," said Ashley but she knew something was up. "Hey come with me I want to show you something," said Ashley grabbing Thomas's hand and pulling him in one direction. "What about Kristi?" asked Thomas. "Zeke can look after her for a few minutes," said Ashley with a smirk growing across her face. "Ok," said Thomas but a bit cautiously. 


	17. project matchmaking: part 3

"Alright you two you had best hurry up," said Moonbay very cheerfully once they had left the restaurant. 'Will this ever end?' Van asked himself. "How much longer are we going to be out here?' Fiona asked Moonbay before Van could even get a chance to. "It all depends on how long you two aren't even going to talk to each other. It will be even less if you could get back together like we both know you want to," said Moonbay pointing between herself and Irvine. "How do you know we even want to?" asked Van. "Come on. I have seen you two constantly staring at each other causing you to lose attention of things," said Moonbay. Van and Fiona then looked at each other and then looked away. "Just like that," said Irvine seeing the two. "Shut up," yelled Van. "You know you won't be able to hide it for long," Irvine whispered in Van's ear. Van face started to grow red but he was from both embarrassment and anger. Irvine then backed away very cautiously. "Hey Irvine why don't we leave these two lovebirds alone? They won't be able to say certain things with us around," said Moonbay with a wink. "Don't even think about it. You will probably go and kiss anyways," yelled Van causing Irvine and Moonbay to blush this time. "Come on Irvine," said Moonbay grabbing his hand and running off. "Right," said Irvine. "Irvine, Moonbay get back here," Van yelled after them. He tried to run after them and forgot that he was still handcuffed to Fiona and the two fell down to the ground. "I am going to kill them," said Van with his face in the ground.  
  
"They are going to be mad at us when they see us again," said Irvine. "Either that or very grateful to us for getting them back together," said Moonbay very confidently. "What is they don't get back together. Then they will be mad at us for doing to them," said Irvine. "Then we will have a very big problem," said Moonbay. "So what are we going to do go and watch them from a distance to see what will happen?" asked Irvine. "I think letting them be by themselves for now would be a good idea. Besides is they found us we would be in trouble," said Moonbay. "Good point," said Irvine. "But I do have one idea of what we could do," said Moonbay with a grin on her face. "What?" asked Irvine. "You'll see," said Moonbay dragging Irvine off. "oh I see now," said Irvine with a smirk coming across his face.  
  
Van actually managed to get himself of the ground after laying there for a few minutes. "Are you ok Van?" asked Fiona who had managed to get up before Van did. "I am fine," said Van, "How about you?" asked Van. "Ok. What are we going to do now?" asked Fiona. "Find Irvine and Moonbay," said Van in a determined voice. "Yeah," said Fiona quietly. "Come on," said Van starting to walk with Fiona walking slowly behind him. Van had a look around to see where they were in the city and couldn't help but notice how beautiful the full moon was. He then took a look at Fiona who had taken to walking next to him now. The light of the full moon shone off her and Van couldn't help but admire and she didn't even notice. 'She looks very beautiful right now,' thought Van before realizing what he just thought. 'No. get it out of your head right now. It is over between you two. It has been that way since she left and her returning won't change that,' thought Van shaking his head. "Is something wrong Van?" asked Fiona seeing him doing this. "No nothing," said Van keeping himself from looking at her. They then just continued to walk.  
  
"Great where did they go?" asked Moonbay as she tried to straighten out her messy hair. "Probably off looking for us," said Irvine not bothering with anything. "We didn't go that far away. Oh well maybe they will actually get to talking again like how we had planned," said Moonbay. "We can only hope that it goes along as smoothly as we hoped though," said Irvine. "What? Don't you trust that my plan will work?" asked Moonbay. "Not really," said Irvine with a laugh, which only got him a death glare from Moonbay. "Chill out. I was only kidding," said Irvine for his defense. "You had better be," warned Moonbay. Irvine then gave a nervous chuckle. "Hey with them gone we have more time to ourselves," said Irvine. Moonbay mouth then formed a huge grin.  
  
Where the heck can they be?" asked Van getting a bit aggravated with the hour that they had spent looking for Irvine and Moonbay. "Maybe they went back to the base," said Fiona. "No. They wouldn't leave us here," said Van. Van suddenly heard a slight chuckle from Fiona. "What?" asked Van slightly confused. "We haven't talked this much since that argument we had when I came back," said Fiona returning to being quiet afterwards. "I guess but it doesn't change what I said," said Van. "Yes I know. Things won't be the same again," said Fiona sadly. "But Van I was wondering. Can't we at least go back to just being friends?" asked Fiona. Van looked into Fiona's eyes and saw how much hope seemed to go through them. "Maybe we can," said Van quietly. Fiona seemed to grow happier with that. "That is all I really want," said Fiona. "I said Maybe. We will see what happens. For now though lets get back to looking," said Van in a much more serious tone.  
  
"I wonder where the two of them went," said Moonbay thinking of all the things they could be doing at the moment. Irvine just looked at her like she was crazy. "With how much the two were fighting before I doubt that they would do that at this moment," said Irvine bringing back Moonbay from her thoughts. "If all this works out they could be able to talk to each other again," said Moonbay. "Hopefully with the time alone that they have they will at least be able to say a few words to each other again," said Irvine. "The silence that keeps going on when they are around each other is starting to get annoying so I hope they will," said Moonbay.  
  
Something didn't really feel right for Fiona. She didn't really see anything wrong but she still couldn't get the feeling that something was wrong out of her head. Her eyes kept darting all around the place expecting something to happen. It was getting late in the night and the place was completely empty. 'Must be my imagination,' thought Fiona trying to shake the feeling off. "What's up Fiona?" asked Van seeing the troubled look on her face. "It's nothing," said Fiona quietly. "Whatever," said Van. "Lets go. We could be stuck in this town for a while unless we find those two," said Van starting to walk faster. "Where do you think that they could be?" asked Fiona. "No idea. If I did know we would have found them by now," said Van in a rather rude way. "I guess. Van are you still mad about me leaving all those years ago?" asked Fiona. "I don't know. I have had time to calm down about it but I guess I am still a little mad, and the rest of me just seems confused," said Van. "I guess that is expected," said Fiona. "Van I was wondering if you will ever be able to forgive me for what I did back then," said Fiona. "I don't know," said Van not even looking at Fiona. "It doesn't have to be anytime soon. Just someday I hope you can forgive me for it. I was going through a hard time back then, but now that I look back on it, it just seems like a big mistake," said Fiona looking at the ground. "I guess it was," said Van looking at Fiona while still walking. "Maybe someday," said Van as the two turned a corner only to run into a rather large person and they both fell to the ground. 


	18. worries

Van was down for a minute because the wind ended up being knocked out of him. The person that he ran into seemed to be having the same problem. Van picked himself off the ground and helped Fiona stand up. Van was about to leave when the voice of the man spoke up. "You are not going anywhere Flyheight," said the man. Van took a look at him and noticed that he was a soldier, and he wasn't one from the guardian force, republic, or imperial army. 'This is not good,' thought Van. "Hey everyone I found them," yelled the soldier very loudly. "Now I will give you a chance we may let you live if you hand over the zoidian girl," said the soldier. "Forget it," said Van pushing Fiona behind him. "Then you are signing your death wish," said the soldier pulling out a gun and pointing it at Van. He was about to fire the gun when someone knocked him out from behind. Van looked at them and saw Irvine and Moonbay. "Come on let's get out of here," said Irvine.  
  
"There appears to be soldier everywhere. I am surprised that we didn't notice them before," said Moonbay as the four of them ran to the cars that they brought into town. Before they managed to get there though another soldier stepped in their way. "Freeze," he yelled but he didn't say anything else because Van kicked him out of the way very hard. "We're out of here," said Irvine as he stepped on the gas and sped the car out of the city really fast.  
  
"Are you ever planning on un-cuffing us" asked Van slightly annoyed at the two of them. "No," said Irvine simply and continued to drive the car as if he didn't hear anything. "But the night is over," said Van. No it isn't. We've only left the city because of that slight problem but we aren't finished with you two," said Irvine with a smirk on his face. This sent Van's anger flaring and he attempted to strangle Irvine. "What do you mean by slight problem? I could have been killed and Fiona could have been taken by them," said Van as he strangled Irvine. The car made many swerves sending everyone flying around in the car forcing Van to let go of Irvine's neck. "Ok, ok. Sorry," said Irvine rubbing his neck. The rest of the ride was silent but Irvine knew that Van was still sending him death glares. He then decided to break the silence. "So how did things go between you two?" asked Irvine planning to tell Moonbay when they got back since she had to take the second car back. "None of you business, but if you must know we spent the whole time looking for you two," yelled Van. "You must have talked a little in that time being all alone, or maybe you did something else," said Irvine with a smirk. "I swear I am going to kill you if you don't shut up," said Van glaring at Irvine. Irvine the shut up and the silence was that way for the rest of the journey.  
  
"Did they say how it went when they were alone?" asked Moonbay. "No, and when I told Van that we weren't letting them out of the handcuffs he tried to strangle me," said Irvine. "Good thing I wasn't there," said Moonbay with a laugh. "Lucky you," said Irvine. "So is the bet still on?" asked Moonbay changing the subject. "Would it be any other way? It will be the easiest way for me to get a free meal," said Irvine. "You don't actually think you have a chance to win do you?" asked Moonbay. "I have a better chance than you do of beating me in this bet," said a cocky Irvine. "We'll see," said Moonbay with a smirk.  
  
"How are we suppose to do anything if we are handcuffed like this? Who do they think that they are to keep us like this after what happened?" Van kept asking. "Van can you please calm, down?" asked Fiona quietly. Van seemed to then notice how calm she was about this. "Why are you so calm?" asked Van. "I don't know," said Fiona looking at the ground. Van then also noticed the sadness in her eyes. "What's up?" asked Van. "It's nothing," said Fiona. There was something wrong though. 'He could have gotten killed if it hadn't been for Irvine and Moonbay,' thought Fiona. A tear slipped down her face just thinking about it which didn't go unnoticed by Van. No matter what Van could have said to her, he hated to see her cry when she did. It wasn't that he hated her it was just that he was mad. He seemed to let that aside for a moment and pulled Fiona into an embrace. Fiona didn't seem to mind at all and she just cried into his shirt. "It is ok Fiona," said Van trying to comfort her. "I hate this Van," said Fiona. "What?" asked Van looking at Fiona. "Even after the arguments that we had you still tried to protect me even at the risk of losing your life," said Fiona still crying into his shirt. "It is just the way I am," said Van. "I don't want you to die," said Fiona crying even harder.  
  
Little did they know that Irvine and Moonbay seemed to be listening in on them. "It sounds so sweet," said Moonbay. Irvine seemed a bit upset about something. "Don't be such a grouch because you lost the bet," said Moonbay. "I am not grouchy," said Irvine. "Could have fooled me," said Moonbay with a small laugh so as to not Van and Fiona know they were listening in. "Although they aren't completely together I think we did a rather good job. At least they are talking to each other again," said Moonbay. "Do you think that we should let them out of the handcuffs?" asked Irvine. "I think that it is time to let them out," said Moonbay.  
  
Van and Fiona were still in the small embrace when suddenly they heard a small tapping on the door to the room. They both looked over and waited for a second before they both saw something very small slide under the door. They both walked over to the door to see what it was and saw a very small key. Van picked up the key. He then opened the door and looked out but he didn't see anything. Van then looked at the key and had an idea. "Think that these can be for the handcuffs?" asked Van. "Maybe," said Fiona. Van then put the key in on the one around Fiona's wrist and turned it and the handcuff came undone. "I am guessing that that was Irvine and Moonbay," said Van. "It had to be they are the only one with the key," said Fiona. "That is a good point," said Van. "I will see you later Van," said Fiona as she left the room. "Yeah," said Van quietly.  
  
Irvine and Moonbay looked at Thomas who didn't even seem to notice them. "What do we have here?" said Moonbay slyly. "N-nothing," stuttered Thomas finally noticing them. "Doesn't look like nothing," said Irvine. "I swear," said Thomas. "So those lipstick markings on your face are nothing?" asked Moonbay trying hard not to hold back a laugh. "W-what?" asked Thomas. "Here take a look," said Moonbay laughing and somehow bringing out a mirror. Thomas looked through it and saw that his face was full of spots of lipstick. "I thought we were trying to get Van and Fiona together. Not you and someone else," said Irvine. "You aren't one to talk like that Irvine," came Van's voice from behind them. "Just for you to know Thomas. When we went into a restaurant the two of them actually started to make out on one of the tables," said Van. Now it was Thomas's turn to laugh at Irvine and Moonbay while they were blushing like mad. "I guess you two shouldn't be talking like that," said Thomas with a smirk on his face. "Now if you will all excuse me. I need to get to sleep but just know this. My torture isn't even close to done yet," said Van with a giant smirk on his face as he walked off. When he said that Irvine and Moonbay both seemed to hold a bit of fear in them. 'What could he possibly have planned,' they both thought.  
  
Late night had come and Van woke up fats from the little sleep he had been having. He had had a dream. It wasn't a nightmare but it was more of reality. Van got up and planned on just taking a walk to try and clear his head before trying to get back to sleep again. During his walk he somehow found himself by Fiona's door. He heard something from inside and it sounded like Fiona seemed to be dreaming. Somehow Van's curiosity got the better of him and he listened in. "No, not again," he heard Fiona mumble in her sleep. "Van, no," Fiona said rather loudly in her sleep. "I wonder if it is that dream she said she had," said Van quietly. 'Is this dream really effecting her this as hard as she said,' thought Van. 'I have to do something,' thought Van. He then had an idea. He decided to do it and ran for the hanger.  
  
When he reached the hanger he looked around to see if anyone was there. He didn't see anything and headed for the car that they had used earlier. "Going somewhere?" asked a voice which startled Van a little. Van looked around and saw Irvine working on his lightning saix. "I. have some business I need to attend to," said Van. "What kind of business?" asked a suspicious Irvine. "Important business," said Van not wanting to say what he was up to. He then turned on the car. "What kind of important business do you need to do at this time of the night?" asked a rather annoyed Irvine since Van was not answering his question seriously. "Very important business that needs to be done now. So see you," said Van as he drove out of the hanger fast leaving an annoyed Irvine behind. "That was weird," said Irvine. 'What is he up to?' Irvine asked himself. "Oh well. None of my business," said Irvine heading back to the lightning saix. 


	19. stupid plan

Van was trying to figure out how he was going to make this extremely stupid plan work. He only knew what he wanted to do but not how to do it right yet. He had to do it now though before it became too late to be able to do it. 'Think Van, think,' Van repeated in his head. 'How the heck am I going to do this,' Van thought with worry all over his face. 'Why the hack am I doing this?' thought Van as an afterthought. 'To help Fiona,' came a voice in his head. "Right I am doing this to help her," said Van. 'Why are you doing this for her? You don't love her anymore,' came another voice. A scene from the dream he had earlier that night flashed through his head. "I don't know how I feel," said Van. 'You hate her for leaving you. Why are you doing this?' asked the voice. "I don't hate her. I never will," said Van. 'Of course you do,' said the voice. 'No now shut up and leave us alone,' came the first voice. 'You're no fun,' said the second voice as it disappeared. 'Do what you need to. That will tell you all you need to know,' said the first voice as it too disappeared. "Right. I will know by doing this. Maybe," said Van. He then saw a town coming up. It was nearly morning, so Van then decided to stop until night came before he decided to do this.  
  
"Where's Van?" asked Kristi. "Why?" asked Thomas. "I wanted to play with him," said Kristi. "I don't know I haven't seen him at all today," said Thomas. "Ok," said Kristi sadly as she walked away. "What was that about?" asked Fiona walking up to Thomas. "She wanted to play with Van but he isn't here. Do you know where he is?" asked Thomas. "No I don't," said Fiona. "That's odd," said Thomas. "Why?" asked Fiona. "Nobody seems to know where he is," said Thomas. "I kind of know," said Irvine who happened to be listening in on the conversation. "Where?" asked Thomas. "He left early this morning. Said he had some important business he had to attend to," said Thomas. "What kind off business?" asked Fiona. "No idea. He wouldn't tell me just dodged the question when I asked," said Irvine. "I wonder why he wouldn't say what it is," said Thomas. "If you ask me. I would say he was up to something," said Irvine. "That is my guess too," said Thomas nodding his head. "I wonder what," said Fiona.  
  
Van was bored out of his mind. Waiting all day for night to come was not very exciting to him. Luckily for him it was nearing evening so he wouldn't have to wait much longer. "I think I finally got a plan," Van said out loud. "Out of everything stupid I ever did in my life this has to be one of been the stupidest thing ever," said Van laughing slightly. Van calmed down for a second and then thought about the plan he had worked up. He then noticed that the sun was just barely showing so he thought that now was the time to do this. 'It's time,' thought Van as he got up from the area he was sitting and headed for the car. "Please let this work," Van pleaded even though he knew no one was here to even listen. "I have to do this no matter what. If I don't or I fail then nothing will ever change," said Van. "Now for the easiest part of the plan, but the problem with the plan is that there are no easy part," said Van cringing at the thought of it. 'Put that aside and just do this,' Van thought. 'The sooner it gets done the better,' he thought again. "I have to do this now," said Van as he started the car and drove into the town.  
  
Van looked around at all the soldiers that were all over the place. 'I see that they haven't left this place,' thought Van actually a bit happy about this. "Let the plan begin," said Van in a very quiet voice. A smirk then crossed his face. "Hey you," yelled a voice from behind him. Van was shocked that he didn't hear the person approach him. 'Great,' thought Van. "What are you doing here?" asked the soldier. "I was. I was just," said Van as he turned around trying to punch the soldier but this guy was huge and Van's punch didn't even faze him. Van looked up with some slight fear in his eyes. "Hey you're Van Flyheight," said the man getting angry. Van was looking up at the man's face since he was only up to the man's chest. Van gave a nervous laugh. The man then pointed a gun at him. Van reacted very quickly though and jumped up and punched the guy in the face. The man didn't expect this and fell backwards and landed with a thud. The soldier hit his head and Van was glad to see that he was knocked out. "That was way too close," said Van. Van walked up to the man and took the gun incase he needed it. "This will at least give me a little protection," said Van glad that he could at least protect himself. He was starting to get a little on edge at the moment. "What is going on down here," said a soldier running into the alley Van and the unconscious soldier were in. Being as nervous as he was Van overreacted and instead of using the gun to fire at the soldier he threw it at him instead. "Bulls eye," said Van seeing that he hit the soldier with it.. Van walked up to this one and picked up the gun that he just threw. "He might do," said Van with a smirk crossing his face.  
  
Fiona was now starting to become a little worried. Van hadn't come back yet and for some reason she kept getting this horrible feeling like something bad was happening. 'Don't be silly. I am sure that Van is safe and sound, but where could he be?' thought Fiona. What is this bad feeling that I am having though?" Fiona asked herself. "I am just being paranoid," said Fiona trying to laugh but she couldn't because the same bad feeling kept coming to her. 'Could something be happening to Van?' Fiona asked herself.  
  
"It looks like something is troubling her," said Thomas as him, Moonbay, and Irvine stood there looking at her as she talked to herself and was pacing the floor. "No kidding," said Moonbay sarcastically. Thomas just glared at her. "Something is bugging her," said Moonbay informing Thomas. "No kidding," mocked Thomas. It was Moonbays turn to glare at him. "Will you two quit arguing," ordered Irvine with a bit of anger in his voice. "Moonbay why don't you go up and talk to her," said Thomas. "Why me?' asked Moonbay. "Because she is more likely to tell you what is going on, than she is to tell us what is going on," said Irvine. "So go on," said Irvine and Thomas as they shoved her towards Fiona. Moonbay glared at both of them before walking over to Fiona. "Something wrong?" asked Moonbay seeing the sad look on Fiona's face which she didn't notice before. "I am worried about Van," said Fiona. "I am sure he is fine," said Moonbay trying to comfort her. "I keep getting this bad feeling like something bad is happening to him but I don't know quite what," said Fiona. "You still love him? don't you?" asked Moonbay. Fiona nodded her head. "You just need to calm down and trust in him," said Moonbay. "I know I do but this feeling just won't go away," said Fiona. "Then just ignore it and wait for him to come back. He probably just had some business far away and that is why he is still gone," said Moonbay. "That could be possible," said Fiona cheering up a little. "Just wait a day or two and I am sure that he will be back," said Moonbay happy to see that Fiona was cheering up a little. "Thank Moonbay," said Fiona giving a smile to her friend. "No problem. If anything else is bugging you just talk to me," said Moonbay proudly. "Thank I will," said Fiona. "Or I might be better to talk to Van about it," said Moonbay teasing Fiona. Fiona then gave a nervous laugh.  
  
This was all strange for Van. He was wearing the uniform of the man that he had knocked out and tied the two of them up so they couldn't tell anyone when they woke up. He had been sure to tape their mouths up so that they couldn't yell for help when they woke up. He wore a red uniform that had a cap on top of it. He carried the gun at his side and walked out into the street. He was now able to walk around all the soldiers and none of them looked at him. he was really glad for this. "hey you," said a high-ranking soldier. "Y-yes sir?" asked Van a bit nervous. "Hurry up and get to your squadron. We will be leaving to go back to the base soon," said the soldier. "Right. Um I kind of forgot where my squadron was supposed to go," said Van with a nervous laugh. "There is a restaurant down the street. You need to go there," said the soldier slightly annoyed. "Yes sir," said Van running in that direction. He reached there within a minute and took a place in the back of the line that was forming there. "Alright move out," said the head soldier. They all started to march as Van thought, 'Step one is complete.' 


	20. break in

Van followed the line of soldiers for a while. Before long he saw the exit to the city. He overheard something though before he left. "Hey have you seen George?" asked a soldier to another. "How exactly can you miss him? That guy is huge," said another soldier. Van gulped in response to this. 'That must be the big guy that I knocked out,' thought Van slightly nervous. "Go look for him and if you don't find him just leave without him," said the soldier. 'These guys must not have too much respect for each other or they just don't like that guy,' thought Van. Van wasn't able to listen any longer because the next second he was in a truck heading to a place he didn't know.  
  
"Hey Thomas," said Irvine. "What?" asked Thomas. "I have a question that has been bugging me for a while," said Irvine. "What's that?" asked Thomas. "Who was it that you got together with that night?" asked Irvine. Thomas seemed to turn a deep red as the question was asked. "Well?" asked Irvine very curious as to who it was. "It's," said Thomas. "Yeah?" asked Irvine getting closer. "It's," said Thomas. "Yeah?" asked Irvine getting slightly annoyed. "None of you business," said Thomas making Irvine fall over because he was leaning too far forward. "What is with people dodging questions I ask them lately?" asked an annoyed Irvine. "Because you are prying into things that they don't feel like answering," said Thomas taking a drink of the coffee he had in his hands.  
  
The truck that Van had been riding in for the last few hours finally came to a stop. Van was upset because he couldn't find out where the base was now and also that he had huge cramps from sitting down for so long. He was lucky thought because no one seemed to even notice that he wasn't supposed to be there. "Alright. Everyone out," yelled a soldier as he opened the back door to the car. Van carefully got up and walked slowly out of the back doors. "Hey you. Hurry up," yelled the soldier that opened the door. Van quickened his pace and moved as quickly walked out of the doors.  
  
"Alright everyone. If you have anything that you wish to report you had better go talk to him now,' said the soldier once everyone was off and the cars had left. 'Must be talking about their leader,' thought Van listening carefully to what he was saying. "I suggest that you watch out though because he isn't really in a very good mood right now," said the soldier with a smirk on his face. Van looked around and saw that some of the people were a bit nervous. 'Wow. I wonder who this guy is, if so many are afraid of him,' thought Van. "Move out," ordered the soldiers. They started to move into the middle of nowhere which slightly confused Van. Van followed them though so that he wouldn't look at all suspicious. They suddenly stopped and Van looked to see why. There was nothing there. Van watched though as a control panel came out of the sand. The lead soldier typed a few things in and the panel went back into the ground. For a few seconds nothing happened but then a door appeared out of the ground. 'That is why we could never find their base. It was hidden under ground,' thought Van as he walked through the doorway after all the others. Van was amazed because the place was huge. He was so distracted by this that he almost didn't notice when all the soldiers in front of him started to go their own ways. 'Good now I will have a chance to look around,' thought Van going off on his own as well.  
  
As he walked through the halls he found it very hard to remember where everything was. People were talking all around him. Suddenly it all fell silent and Van was curious as to why. He looked as all the soldiers started to part to make a hole through the hall. Van looked into it as he did what everyone else did and saw two men walking down it. One was a medium sized man and the other was a huge man that Van couldn't help but feel that he had seen before. Suddenly it struck him. His mind flashed to a few years ago as he remembered the date he had with Fiona. He remembered how it was ruined when a gang showed up out of nowhere and they ended up chasing them. When they thought they had escaped that man showed up trying to take Fiona but Van protected her and got hurt in the process. 'Wait a minute I think I may have even saw him before that,' thought Van. He then remembered when Raven came to talk to him when the base was attacked and they managed to capture one of the enemy soldiers but someone shot him before they got any chance to interrogate him. He then knew that it was him as well. Van suppressed his rage and looked at the other guy. He was about Van's height with medium length black hair. 'He must be the leader considering that the big guy is following him and with the way that everyone else moved out of their way,' thought Van as his eyes followed the two. When they walked by everyone went back to doing what they were doing before but Van followed closely behind the two yet he stayed hidden in case they were to spot him.  
  
Van followed them for a while until they came to a pair of doors. The doors slid open and the two of them walked inside. Van walked to the side of the door and carefully looked in. It appeared to be a hanger that they had walked into. Van walked in and walked to a separate area but made sure that it wasn't too far away. "How do you suppose that we capture the two zoidians?" asked Ryan starting a conversation. "Raven won't leave Reese alone and the other girl Fiona is protected by the guardian force," said Ryan. "That is a problem isn't it?" said Zack not even looking at Ryan. "What shall we do Zack?" asked Ryan. 'So the leaders name is Zack,' thought Van still watching them. "We will do what we always do Ryan," said Zack. "I see. We will just kill all that get in our way," said Ryan. "Yes. Van and Raven are the two that will end up getting in our way the most because of their pathetic feeling for the zoidians," said Zack. "Those two aren't exactly easy to kill. Raven's organoid got him away from me when I attacked him all those years ago, and Van has all of his friends to help him if he is in trouble," said Ryan. 'He is the one that did that to Raven,' thought Van as he cringed from the thought. 'Raven is one of the toughest people I know and this guy was able to beat him,' Van thought. "You had better not get cocky for what you did to them. They are still not people you want to underestimate," said Zack. "I realize that," said Ryan. "Listen I need to go talk to someone so we must hurry," said Zack starting to walk towards the door. "You go and I will take this to him. He need to have it since he is helping us," said Ryan holding up a disk. "Fine," said Zack as he walked through the doors. Ryan was about to walk out when he had an idea. He turned around and had a look around. "Hey you," said Ryan pointing at Van. "Yeah?" asked Van not turning to face him. "Can you take this to the head scientist?" he asked Van. Van thought that this could be a good chance to find out what was going on. "Sure," said Van. Ryan then threw him the disk. "Take it to him quickly," ordered Ryan. "Yes sir," said Van. Ryan then let out a laugh. "No has ever called me sir," laughed Ryan. Van gave a nervous laugh. "Well?" asked Ryan. "Huh?" asked Van. "Take it to him now," yelled Ryan as he pointed out the door. Van immediately ran out the door and took a right. 'Must be new since he went the wrong way. So I had better tell him where to go,' thought Ryan following after Van.  
  
Van opened a door and was lucky because he managed to find a computer in there. He closed the door and locked it. Ryan who followed him saw him do this. 'He wasn't lost,' thought Ryan as he walked towards the door with a smirk on his face.  
  
Van sat down in front the computer and put in the disk. When he did a bunch of data popped up on the screen. Van looked over the data and saw that it talked about Fiona and Reese and all that had happened within the past few years. "This doesn't do me any good. I already know about all of this," said Van very quietly. He continued to read. He was so deep into reading that he didn't hear the lock to the door click and that it had opened and closed. "Alright. Here is something," said Van but before he could even get to read it a pair of large arms wrapped around his throat. 


	21. bait

Van woke up a few minutes after the little encounter and found that he was in a room with that guy Ryan standing by the door. Van then tried to recall all that had happened to get him into this situation. 'Lets see. I got that disk and while I was looking at what was on it that man grabbed me by the throat and I lost consciousness from the lack of air. That seems about right,' Van thought to himself. "So you have woken up," came the deep voice of Ryan. Van tried to stand up but fell down. He then realized that his hands and legs were bound together. "My master wants to have a word with you," said Ryan looking amused at Van situation. "Well I don't want to talk to him," Van practically yelled. "You don't really have a choice considering you situation," said Ryan. It was then silent for a few minutes before the door to the room opened and Zack came walking into the room. "It is a pleasure to finally meet the great Van Flyheight," he seemed to say in a mocking tone. Van then growled at him. "Down boy," said Zack hearing the growl. "What do you mean 'down boy'? What am I, a dog?" asked Van a bit annoyed. "At this moment, yes. You are like my own dog laying down at my feet," said Zack starting to laugh. "Do you love to laugh at your own jokes because they are rather lame," said Van this time in a bored tone. Zack got mad at this and then kicked Van in the stomach. It took about a minute but Zack was then able to regain his cool. "Looks like we are going to have a lot of fun with you," said Zack. "You won't have any fun with me," said Van who was still trying to recover from the kick. Zack then looked at Van and a smirk appeared on his face. "We'll will have fun but you won't," whispered Zack. He then laughed to himself as he left the room. Van then found himself being picked up by Ryan and carried out of the room.  
  
"Now stay in there and keep quiet," said Ryan as he threw Van into a prison cell. Van then glared at the man as he walked out of the room. "Now this is just great," yelled Van. "And I was so close to finding out what they wanted with Fiona and Reese," said Van. He sat back against the wall once he managed to sit up with the bindings still on his hands and legs. "This has got to be the stupidest thing that I have ever done in my life," said Van as he started to hit his head against the wall.  
  
"What are we going to do with him?" asked Ryan as he walked in to the room after placing Van in his cell. "It is simple," said Zack with a smile on his face. "What is?" asked Ryan. "We will use him as bate. With him here the ancient zoidian will most likely come running to us once she finds out that we have Flyheight," said Zack. "How can you be sure that she will come?" asked Ryan. "She will. You don't really have anything to worry about," said Zack chuckling slightly. "What will we do with Flyheight until then?" asked Ryan. "I think that I will let you decide, but he can't die until she gets here. Do you have that?" asked Zack looking sternly at Ryan. "I think I know the perfect thing that we can do to him," said Ryan. "Then I am leaving things in your hands," said Zack. "Thank you sir," said Ryan bowing to Zack. He then walked out the door.  
  
"I am so bored," Groaned Van for about the millionth time. It was starting to get on the nerved of everyone one there. "Will you shut up?!" yelled a guard who was getting of Van constant complaining. Ryan then walked into the room. "I am going to take Flyheight off your hands," said Ryan. "Thank god," yelled the guard as he walked out of the room. Ryan walked up to the cell and peered into it and the still bound Van. "What do you want with me now?" asked Van looking a Ryan with hatred in his eyes. "Now If I told you that it would ruin all the fun," said Ryan. "Whatever it is. I highly doubt that it is 'Fun'," said Van. "Oh but it is. For us at least," said Ryan with a laugh. He opened up the door and walked through the door. He then picked up Van like before and dragged him out of the door. "What are you doing?" Van asked again. "I told you. If I told you it would ruin the fun," said Ryan as they walked down the halls with a lot of people looking at them and most of them laughing at Van. "Well I don't care if it ruins the 'fun'," said Van. "Well deal with it because you will knot know what is going to happen until we are about to do it," said Ryan. "Great," groaned Van.  
  
Today had to be the most boring day for a soldier named Jacob. He had gotten put at communications. He took pride in everything that he did though, and he always gave as much effort as possible. However today was not one of those days. A call suddenly came through. Normally he would have picked it up like he was supposed to. However certain circumstances prevented him from picking it up. Those being that due to how bored he was he fell asleep and he didn't even hear it because of that.  
  
Zack was really starting to get annoyed with this. "Someone should have picked up by now," yelled Zack. "What should I do now?" asked the communications officer with a hint of fear in his voice. "Continue until someone picks up," said Zack. "Yes sir," said the soldier.  
  
Irvine walked into the command area of the base hoping to find Thomas but found that the place was empty except for one person who happened to be sleeping. Irvine noticed the communications control he was supposed to be in charge of was beeping. "Maybe I should wake him up," said Irvine. "Wait a minute I have a better idea," said Irvine with a smirk on his face. He quietly walked up to the sleeping man. He took in a deep breath and yelled, "attack." The soldier jumped up at this. "What? An attack? Sound the alarm," yelled the soldier. He then noticed how Irvine was laughing his head off on the floor. "Very funny," he said figuring out on what happened. He then noticed the controls beeping. "Great," he practically yelled. He pressed a button and a picture came up on the screen. 'About time that someone actually decided to pick up,' growled the man on the other line,' yelled the man on the other end. "Who are you?" asked Irvine gaining control of his fit of laughter. 'I just thought you would all like to know something very interesting,' Said Zack. 'But first I would like to see the one that is in control of this case,' said Zack. "I am. What is it that you want?" asked Crougar who came walking in through the doors. 'Good. First off. After all this time let me introduce myself. My name is Zack. I am the leader of the army that you have been having do much trouble with,' said Zack. Everyone was fully aware of what he was saying now. "I see," said Crougar calmly. 'Now let us get down to the point. I want the zoidian girl that you have at that base,' said Zack. "Yeah we know," muttered Irvine. "Forget it," said Crougar sternly. 'I doubt that you will be saying that once you know what we have,' said Zack. 'Look at this,' said Zack as a picture of van popped up on the screen. He was strapped into a chair with a blindfold over his eyes. Everyone that was in the room gave a gasp after they saw Van in the chair. 'Now I might let him go if you hand over the girl. I will give you time to think,' said Zack as the picture was brought up again and then the communication was cut off. A muffled scream was heard from behind everyone and they all turned to see Fiona standing in the doorframe.  
  
"This is all working out perfectly. She will be in our hands in a matter of hours," said Zack. "Shall we commence it?" came Ryan's voice. "Yes. Be sure to have a lot of fun with him because he will die once we get the girl," said Zack. "Sure thing," said Ryan. "What if they don't make the exchange though?" asked Ryan. "it is doubtful but then we will have more time to have fun torturing Flyheight. Or the zoidian girl somehow comes on her own accord to save him. Even if it goes against their orders because I know that she wouldn't just leave Flyheight with us. Either way we will have her," laughed Zack. 


	22. Fiona's decision

A pounding was coming from a door. Irvine just listened on, as the pounding seemed to continue. "Let me out," yelled Fiona on the other end of the door. "Sorry. Can't do that," said Irvine. 'How the heck did I get stuck doing this job?' Irvine asked himself. The pounding continued as Irvine remembered all that had happened.  
  
Flashback  
  
"Fiona did you just see all that?" asked Crougar seeing Fiona standing in the frame of the door. Fiona said nothing but she just stood there as if she was in shock and couldn't move. "Fiona," said Irvine waving a hand in front of her face yet she still didn't respond. "How could all of this have happened?" asked Crougar. "I am guessing that some of it might have been part of the 'business' that Van had to do. Although I know that he didn't plan on getting caught," said Irvine. "What do you mean?" asked Crougar looking at Irvine. "I mean that I am guessing that Van tried to infiltrate their base but he was caught," said Irvine. "What are you going to do?" Irvine asked Crougar. "As much as I hate how this has happened. We can't go by their demands," said Crougar. Fiona then snapped out of her shocked state. "What do you mean? What about Van?" yelled Fiona. "We will just have to leave him, because we can't hand you over to them like they wanted," said Crougar. "But Van can get hurt or even get killed," yelled Fiona as tears started to form within her eyes. "I know. However it is either we save him and risk your safety and give them what they want or not save Van and basically lose him," said Crougar sadly. "I don't care about my safety as long as Van is ok," said Fiona. "We still won't let you go," said Crougar sternly. "Then I will go by myself," said Fiona as she ran out of the room. Irvine stepped in front of her path and grabbed a hold of her to stop her from passing. "Let me go," yelled Fiona struggling under his grip. "He is your friend Irvine," said Fiona still struggling. "I know but I have to agree with Crougar," said Irvine sadly. Fiona then did the only thing that she could think of and elbowed Irvine in the stomach. With Irvine stunned for a second Fiona dashed out the door.  
  
Fiona dashed through the halls trying to get to the hanger so she could take a zoid and get Van. She heard footsteps behind her and knew that they were trying to stop her. 'I have to save Van,' was the only thought that ran through her head though instead of thoughts about her safety. Finally Fiona reached the hanger and ran for the closest zoid she could find which happened to be a pteras. 'It will do,' thought Fiona as she ran towards it. Fiona ran towards it as the others came running into the hanger. "There she is," yelled Irvine pointing towards Fiona they all ran towards her. They reached the zoid as Fiona started to climb into the cockpit but they grabbed a hold of her first. "Let me go," yelled Fiona. "Sorry about this Fiona," said Irvine as he took out a needle and injected Fiona with it. Fiona started to feel sleepy and ended up falling limp in Irvine's arms. "You will thank me for this later," said Irvine. 'Either that or she will kill me for this later,' thought Irvine as he cringed at the thought. He picked her up and walked to where Crougar was waiting. "I have a place where we can place her. We will have to keep the door locked and keep a guard outside to make sure she doesn't try to escape. Which is why I decided you for this task," said Crougar. "What? Why me?" asked Irvine slightly angered. "Because she is your friend," said Crougar. Irvine was speechless as they walked through a door to a rather nice room and put Fiona down on the bed and walked out of the room.  
  
End flashback  
  
"Figures that I would be the one to get this job," said Irvine still listening to the banging that was coming from the other side of the door. "Let me out of here right now," he heard Fiona yell. "I can't do that," said Irvine. The banging on the door still continued.  
  
Van struggled against the bindings that held him to the chair. "It will do you no good," came Ryan's voice. Van was blindfolded so he could not see anything that was in the room. "Now it is time to have some fun," said Ryan laughing slightly. "What are you going to do?" asked a worried Van. "Something very painful," said Ryan as Van heard a flipping of a switch. The next thing that Van knew he felt pain surge through his body. He could faintly hear Ryan's laugh over all the screams of pain he was giving off. Ryan then flipped the switch again and some of the pain subsided. "Hurts doesn't it? I am sending electricity through your body so it should. It isn't enough to kill you yet it is perfect for causing extreme pain," said Ryan with a laugh. He could then faintly hear Van muttering something so he got closer. "You will have to speak up because I can't hear you," said Ryan. Van then was able to mutter out, "Go to hell." Ryan got angry by this and threw the switch again and looked on in delight as Van continued to yell in pain. Ryan then gave off a laugh.  
  
Fiona continued to bang on the door. She then started to get sleepy. 'No I have to get Van,' thought Fiona as she let off a yawn. She then got too tired that she stopped banging on the door. On the other side of the door she could hear Irvine mutter, "Finally." A tear fell down Fiona's face as she laid down on the bed. "What was Van thinking?" Fiona asked no one. "Why must Van continue to get hurt like this?" Fiona asked herself. "I want to help him. I have to get him out of there even if it means being taken by them. I will give up everything just to make sure Van is safe," said Fiona as she started to cry into the pillow. "No I can't cry. I have to save Van. This time I won't run away to save him. I will stay by his side and try to protect him like he has tried to protect me," said Fiona. "I have to get out of here though but how?" Fiona asked herself. She quickly took a look around the room and noticed that there was a window. She walked over to it and tried to open it but it wouldn't open. She took a look out and noticed that it was rather high off of the ground. "I can't go through here or I will be killed with the landing," Fiona said quietly. Suddenly she had an idea.  
  
Irvine was starting to worry. "It is way to quiet in there. First she wouldn't shut up and now she won't even speak. Oh well. Maybe she just went to sleep," said Irvine. He himself was starting to get sleepy. Suddenly he was woken up just as he was about to fall asleep by the sound of glass shattering. "What is going on in there?" Irvine yelled through the door. He received no reply. He started to worry again and reached to open the door. The door swung open and he noticed that the room appeared to be empty. He then noticed that the window that was in there was shattered. "She couldn't have jumped," said Irvine running towards the window. He looked outside and saw nothing. "She not out there but then where is she?' Irvine asked himself. He was lost in thought that he didn't notice Fiona coming up behind him until it was too late and she hit him in the head with something and knocked him unconscious. "Sorry Irvine," said Fiona quietly as she ran out of the room. She came into the hanger and saw that it was empty so she ran to that pteras again. This time though she had managed to get into it. She started up the controls and got the pteras moving. It flew out of the base at top speed. "Wait a minute. Where exactly is this place?" Fiona asked herself. "I guess I will just head towards that city and hope that they are still there," said Fiona.  
  
Van found that he couldn't move. He also could barely hear anything that was going on in the room. It seemed that most of his senses had stopped working for the time being. The most that he could do was make a twitch every once in a while. Ryan looked at what his work had done and gave off a smirk as he looked at the still form of Van. "I'll give you a little break. Since I don't think that you have enough strength to scream and that is what is the most fun about all of this," said Ryan. He left the room with Van still twitching in the chair.  
  
Fiona landed the pteras just outside the town and walked the rest of the way. As soon as she walked into the town she noticed that there were soldiers there and that they all appeared to be waiting for something. Fiona walked up to them and the leader turned to her. "We have been waiting for you," he said with a smirk on his face. "I know," said Fiona as the soldiers grabbed her and dragged her to a car. 'Please Van. Be safe until I get there,' thought Fiona as she was loaded into the car. 


	23. problems

"Not having any fun?" asked Ryan as he looked into the blank eyes of Van. "It will only get more fun once you wake up," said Ryan to the unconscious Van. He was about to walk out of the room when Zack walked in. "Sir I was about to come and see you," said Ryan. "She's coming," said Zack with a wicked grin all over his face. "Rats. Now I won't be able to have as much fun," Ryan pouted. "You have all the time until she gets here a few hours from now," said Zack. "Good," said Ryan.  
  
Irvine was sitting in a chair holding an icepack to his head. "I can't believe she did that," muttered Irvine to everyone who would listen. "Did you think that she would just sit around with Van in their hands?" asked Moonbay seriously. "No, but I thought that if we locked her up that we could keep her here," said Irvine wincing at the pain in his head. "Look what good that did. You're hurt and she has disappeared. Most likely taken in by them," said Moonbay. "Why would she do something so stupid just for Van?" asked Irvine. "She loves him with all her heart. That is the only reason I can think of. She would never leave him in that place by himself," said Moonbay. "I am surprised with you Irvine," said Moonbay sternly. "What did I do?" asked a confused Irvine. "You could have at least have helped her if she was that determined to help Van," said Moonbay. "She could get killed," Irvine practically yelled. "But Van is your friend," said Moonbay. "Please don't give me this. Fiona already gave me this lecture when we tried to detain her," said Irvine. "Well she is right," said Moonbay glaring at Irvine. "If she goes then there is a chance that both of them could get killed. I was trying to save at least one of them," said Irvine looking at the ground. Moonbay didn't speak after that.  
  
Fiona found herself being taken out of the car that she had been riding in for the past few hours. She had a sad look on her face. She was led out to the middle of nowhere like Van was before and saw as the door came out of the ground. She was pushed through the doors and led down a hallway until she came up to another door. It opened and she was pushed through but no one else came in after her. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person Fiona," said Zack coming out of the shadows. Fiona was startled by his sudden appearance but calmed down quickly. "I must say that you are much more beautiful that I thought you would be," said Zack as he stepped in front of Fiona. Fiona didn't even try to reply. The room was quiet but Fiona could have sworn that she heard something like screaming. Zack noticed what she was doing. "I am sure that it is hurting him a lot. Not only the physical pain that he is going through, but also the pain of knowing that all of his attempts at saving you were for nothing because he had failed to protect you from us. Or that is the way that it will be when he finds you here," said Zack with a laugh. Fiona was worried about Van with all the screaming she was hearing. "You are demented," said Fiona. Zack got mad and ordered some of his security in. "Take her to a cell. I will deal with her later," said Zack as he marched off and Fiona was dragged in another direction.  
  
"We finally have one of them after all these years. Now all we have to do is obtain two more and I can finally get started on my plan," muttered Zack as he marched down the halls. He opened a door and walked in to find Ryan and a suffering Van. "She's here," Zack started rather harshly. "I take it she wasn't all that nice to you by the way you are right now," said Ryan looking away from the suffering Van. "She will learn to respect me in time. I only have to wait until that time comes. In the end though it won't matter as long as this all works out," said Zack. Zack then looked at Van now twitching Van. "I hope he has suffered for denying me what I have worked for, for years," said Zack. "Take him to the same cell as Fiona maybe she will be a little more cooperative if she knows that he is alive, and can spend at least a few moments with him," said Zack. He then marched out of the room. Ryan then walked up to Van and unlatched him from the chair. He picked Van up and threw him over his shoulder and walked out of the room as well.  
  
Fiona was lying on a hard bed in the cell that she was put in. She closed her eyes trying to sleep but she couldn't get the sounds of Van's screams out of her head. 'Is he alive now with all the screams I heard?" Fiona asked herself. She found herself about to fall asleep when she heard a door open. She opened her eyes to see a large man standing in front of her cell. He appeared to be carrying something over his shoulder. He opened up the bars and threw the thing in which Fiona immediately recognized as Van. "A little present from Zack," said Ryan with a sneer on his face. "Van," yelled Fiona as she ran up to him. Ryan just left the room after that. "Van, Van," yelled Fiona but he wouldn't wake up. Fiona knew that he was alive though because of his rather rough breathing. "Van what did they do to you?" Fiona asked as she hugged Van. Van twitched suddenly at the contact. Fiona was glad to see at least a little movement. She the carefully lifted Van's head up as she sat on the floor and placed his head in her lap. "You will be ok Van. I am here now," Fiona said quietly. "I am sorry that this had to happen to you," she said sadly. A tear slipped down her cheek as she lightly stroked the sides of Van's face. "Van," Fiona whispered.  
  
Zack watched on a monitor at what Fiona was doing to the unconscious Van. He seemed to only laugh at it. 'Enjoy it while you can because soon you will not be able to do anything like that,' he thought as another laugh came out of his mouth.  
  
Van's eye's opened but for some reason the only things he could see were very dark blurs. Everything was quiet and he could barely even feel the floor underneath him. Van knew one thing though. He was with someone. He didn't know who it was though. With what little feeling he had he could just barely make out very light strokes on his face. They were comforting in a way because of all the pain he was still feeling after the torture that he had gone through. 'What is going on? Why have they stopped?' Van thought to himself. 'And who is this with me? It can't be one of them. This one is too gentle. Almost like.' thought Van before he said, "Fiona," in a very hoarse voice.  
  
Fiona who had been trying to comfort Van heard him say this. "Van are you awake?" asked a worried Fiona. She then saw that his eyes were slightly open so he had to be awake. Van didn't even seem to respond to her voice. "Van?" asked Fiona. Yet again she gained no response. She shook him slightly. "Can't you hear me?" asked an even more worried Fiona. There was still no response.  
  
'Is it possible that it is Fiona?' Van asked himself. 'No it can't be. Why would she be here?' Van thought. I could ask but I wouldn't even be able to hear an answer to it. By now most of the feeling had finally come back to his body but it was still very hard to see and hear things. He could now tell that he was lying on the floor in someone's lap. He thought it was worth a try. Maybe this person could at least give him some sign for who they are. "Who is this?" Van asked. "Van it's me Fiona," said a worried Fiona. He didn't seem to respond. "Van what is wrong with you? What happened?" asked Fiona. 'I might as well ask,' thought Van. "Is that you Fiona? I can't see or hear anything," said Van. Fiona was silent. She had no idea on what to do. 'He is blind and deaf? No this can't happen,' thought Fiona. How was there a way that she could tell him so that he would know? Fiona grabbed his hand into hers without even knowing it. She suddenly had an idea. 'How would Van take this though? He could still hate me for leaving. It is the only way I can think of though,' thought Fiona as she slowly brought her head down and gave Van a kiss. Van was slightly surprised when he felt this. 'It is Fiona. I just know it,' thought Van. 'Why is she here though?' Van asked himself. "It is you Fiona," said Van. "Yes it is me," said Fiona very quietly. Van's grip on Fiona's hand tightened now that he knew the truth. Van suddenly felt himself getting tired again and slowly started to drift into a comforting sleep. Fiona saw this and whispered something to him even if he couldn't hear it. She said, "I love you." 


	24. escape

"Where. is. mommy?" cried Kristi when she couldn't find Fiona anywhere. She was scared that her mom was gone again just like what happened before and she might not see her again. Moonbay was slightly nervous in answering her question without worrying the poor kid. "Well you see," said Moonbay at a loss for words. "She isn't here," said Irvine simply. Moonbay was glaring daggers at Irvine but he kept his cool. "Where is she?" asked Kristi with more tears coming down her face. Moonbay glared at Irvine as if daring him to tell the truth. Irvine either didn't see this or didn't care. Irvine just took a sip out of the coffee that he was drinking and said, "She is taking care of some business. I am sure that she will be back." "Really?" asked Kristi. "I am sure of it," said Moonbay happily. Kristi put on a light smile.  
  
Van was slowly waking up from his sleep. He thought that he was sore before but now it seemed much worse since he seemed to have regained complete feeling over his body. He felt his head on something comfortable though. He then remembered that he was with Fiona. For some reason, he didn't want to open his eyes. Especially considering that he was blind not all that long ago. 'Will I be this way forever?' Van asked himself. He slowly tried to lift himself up from his current position but failed and ended up falling back down onto Fiona's lap. 'This is comfy,' thought Van. He found that he was starting to fall asleep again. He gave into it and fell to sleep.  
  
Fiona's eyes opened from the sleep that she was having. She was in a sitting position and Van was still asleep on her lap. Fiona looked at the sleeping Van and noticed how peaceful he was looking despite his current state. A frown came to her face when she thought about how he was both blind and deaf. "How could they have done something like that to you?" Fiona asked to no one in specific. "I hate them," said Fiona rather loudly. "Fiona can you keep it down? I am trying to sleep," said Van. Van look at Van very surprised. "Did you just hear me?" asked a shocked Fiona. Fiona could tell that Van was awake even though he still had his eyes closed. "Yeah. I did," said a Van a little shocked too. Fiona was happy to hear this. Then a thought struck her. "What about your sight Van?" asked Fiona. "I don't know," said Van trying to sit up. He nearly fell back down but Fiona caught him so soften his fall. "Van just lay back down, and try opening your eyes," said Fiona. Van eyes opened very slightly. What met his eyes was a very blurry version of Fiona's face. "Well?" asked Fiona. "Everything is very blurry," said a rather disappointed Van. Fiona's face lit up a bit. "At least it is an improvement from earlier," said Fiona. "I guess," said Van. He once again tried to sit up but once again he failed. "Don't try to move Van," ordered Fiona. "It hurts all over," said Van. "I can understand that. What did they do to you though?" asked Fiona slightly afraid of the answer. Van remained silent before he said, "I don't want to talk about it." "Alright. Then I won't ask anymore," said Fiona trying to comfort him. "Thank you," said Van.  
  
Ryan walked through the door that led to the cells that they currently had Van and Fiona in. Upon walking in he saw Van on the floor with his head on Fiona's lap and the two were talking. "I see you have regained your sight and hearing back," said Ryan. Van merely looked at him before saying weakly, "Go to hell." "Too much for me to do so I can't," said Ryan. "Than at least shut up," said Van. "no. now you two are going to come with me," said Ryan. "Why?" asked Fiona. "Because my master wants to see you," said Ryan. "Well we don't want to see him," said Fiona. "Well you really have no choice in the matter," stated Ryan. Van glared at him before trying one more time to stand up. Fiona got up too and gave Van a little support to help him stand on his feet. Ryan only smiled as he walked out of the door with the two following behind him. "I wouldn't try to escape because you will be all too easy to catch with Van in the shape that he is in," said Ryan. "No thanks to you," muttered Fiona. He led them down a hallway and they had no choice but to follow.  
  
Zack was sitting in a chair waiting for Ryan to bring him Van and Fiona. When the door opened Ryan walked in with Van and Fiona in tow. "It is about time," said an annoyed Zack. "Sorry but with Flyheights injuries it slowed them down," said Ryan. "Whatever. So tell me how did it feel to see each other one last time?" asked Zack. "What do you mean by that?" asked Fiona. "I have plans for you zoidian. One that doesn't include Flyheight," said Zack. "Like I would go with your plans," said Fiona. "You don't have a choice. As long as you two are in here we will make you do what we want. All we need to do before we can get started are get two more zoidians with the same power as you," said Zack. Fiona was shocked to hear this. "I won't tell you anymore than that, because then it will ruin the surprise that we have for you," said Zack with a grin on his face. "Over my dead body," growled Van. "Soon then," said Zack with an even wider grin. Zack then called in a guard. "Take them back to their cell," ordered Zack. "Yes sir," said the guard. "One more thing," said Zack as he walked up to the man. He whispered something into his ear that Van or Fiona couldn't hear. The guard just nodded his head with a smirk and walked out with Van and Fiona following behind.  
  
They once again were walking down the hall back towards their cell. Suddenly the guard that was leading them just stopped. "What's going on?" asked an angry Van. The guard turned around with a gun in hand pointing directly at Van. "Orders from Zack. He says to kill you and then take the girl back to the cell," said the guard. Fiona's eyes suddenly widened in fear when he said this. "You know I am pleased that he asked me to do this," he said. "I will have the pleasure of bragging that I killed Flyheight," said the guard as his finger clutched the trigger. Things seemed to move slowly for Fiona. The gun was fired and before anyone could figure out what happened Fiona pushed Van out of the way. The bullet slightly grazed her shoulder. The two fell to the ground. "Fiona are you ok?" asked a worried Van. "I will be fine but my shoulder hurts," said Fiona clutching her shoulder. "Rats I missed," said the guard. He took aim again. Van suddenly found a bit of energy and before the guard could react he was on the ground. The energy that Van felt suddenly disappeared and he fell to the floor next to Fiona. He struggled but managed to get up after that. He held a hand out to Fiona who took it almost immediately. "Come on. Lets see if we can get out of here before the guard wakes up and informs the others," said Van. Fiona nodded her head while she still clutched her shoulder. "Right," said Fiona as the two moved as fast as they can.  
  
Zack sat down in a chair and was looking at monitors of the area. "What's this?" said Zack as he spotted the unconscious guard on one of the monitors and Van and Fiona moving as fast as they could on another. "That fool," said Zack as he got out of the chair and ran out of the room but not before sounding the alarm. It went on for a second but suddenly the power went out. "Great. They must have shut off the power," growled Zack. "Hey you. Warn everyone that the prisoners have escaped and to keep and eye out for them," said Zack. "Right," said the guard.  
  
"That should hold them off for a bit," said Van as he tore apart some wires on a switch that provided power to the whole base. "Good thing I got a look around this place before they caught me. I was able to find this while doing that," said Van. A backup system suddenly went on. "At least we will be able to see. It will take a while before everyone will be able to know we have escaped because they don't have any alarms," said Van. "But how will we escape?" asked Fiona. "I don't know," said Van. 


	25. a way out

Van and Fiona opened the door and looked out of it. Seeing that there was no one there yet, the two of them carefully moved down the halls. Unfortunately just as they were about to round a corner, a guard moved right in front of them. "Here they are," the guard yelled. 'Oh no,' thought Van as a number of guards appeared from almost out of nowhere. "You aren't going anywhere," said the first guard. Van just grabbed Fiona's hand and ran as fast as he could. Gunshots sounded all around them but the two of them managed to avoid them. "Be careful. Don't shoot the girl," came Zack's voice from the group of guards, "Should have known that he would be here," muttered Van as the two of them ran. The guards were following behind them at a fast pace. Van and Fiona turned a corner out of sight of the guards. The guards came around the corner there was no one there. "Check every room. That is the only place they could have possibly have gone," ordered Zack. The guards scattered out and walked up to all of the doors.  
  
A guard walked into one of the rooms. At first it appeared to be empty. He held a gun in his hand prepared to shoot anything that he saw. The room that he was in was a medical station that no one was using at the time. He carefully maneuvered around a number of the table with medical supplied in them. Suddenly a noise came from the other end of the room. He quickly turned around and went in that direction. There was once again nothing. "Must have been my imagination," said the guard. "Everything looks clear here," said the guard as he opened the door and walked out of the room. All was quiet in the room until the sound of an air vent being opened came. Van slowly got down and looked around. Seeing that no one was coming he motioned to Fiona to come down. "Sorry about that Van," said Fiona looking at the ground. "It's ok. I guess that it was a little cramped in there. At least he didn't bother to look in there," said Van. "Yeah," said Fiona.  
  
"Well was there any sign of them?" asked Drake seeing that everyone was returning. "No sir," said all said. Zack was getting furious at this. "Stand by the doors. Make sure that no one comes out of them. I will go and check on the other areas," said Zack. Marching off. He walked down a hallway trying his best to suppress his rage. Ryan then walked up to him. "What is it you want?" asked a furious Ryan. "There is no sign of them in the area that I was assigned to patrol," said Ryan. "I figured that. They are still somewhere in this base. They are doing a good job so far from hiding from all the guards. However it is only a matter of time before they screw up and are caught," said Zack. "Post guards at all of the exits," said Zack. "It has already been done. They should be spotted soon enough," said Ryan. "For everyone's sake you had better be right," said Zack. "I will head to the hanger see if there is anyone there that has seen them," said Ryan. "Good," said Zack walking off.  
  
"Where exactly are we?" asked Fiona taking a look around the room. "By the looks of it I would say that we are in a medical ward," said Van also looking out of the room. "I see," said Fiona clutching her shoulder. Van noticed this. "How is your shoulder?" asked Van with a worried look on his face. "It is just a scratch. It will be fine," said Fiona with a reassuring smile. Van didn't seem convinced. "I said that once before remember? I also ended up in a coma because of it," said Van. He walked up to Fiona. "Let me take a look at it," said Van. Fiona just nodded her head. She slowly lifted up the sleeve of her shirt to reveal a very small cut on her shoulder. "It doesn't look too bad, but we had better clean it up a bit," said Van. He walked over to one of the cabinets that was in the room and looked through it. He found just what he was looking for. He took out some rubbing alcohol and grabbed a few towels. "Come here," said Van. "Ok," replied Fiona as she walked over to Van. She took a seat in a chair as Van put some of the alcohol on the towels that he had grabbed. As carefully as he could he rubbed it over the wound on Fiona's shoulder. Fiona winced lightly when he did this. "Sorry. Did I hurt you?" asked Van. "No it just stung a bit," said Fiona. When Van was finished he put away the supplies that he had taken away. "There. How does it feel?" asked Van. "It feels a little better," said Fiona with a smile. "That is good to hear," said Van smiling back.  
  
The guard that had checked out the room that Van and Fiona were currently in let off a yawn. "This is so boring. Haven't they found them yet?" he asked himself. With his back turned to the door he didn't notice that it was slightly open and someone was looking out of it.  
  
Van closed the door as quietly as he could so as to not alert the guard. "It looks like we won't be getting out that way," said a disappointed. "Then how are we going to get out of here?" asked Fiona with the same look on her face. Van just look behind her. Fiona turned her head to see what he was looking at. All she saw the air vent that they had hidden in. "I guess that that is the only way out," said Van. "But first we might need a few supplies. I have no idea how far the closest town is from here and I don't know where the base is. So we could be camping out for a while once we escape from this place," said Van. "I guess so," said Fiona. Van walked around the room as if looking for something. "This will do," said Van as he pulled out a bag. "Now for the supplies," said Van. He went around the room collection some supplies that they need such as medical stuff, some food that he had found in the room, and some spare blankets that they had around the room. "That should do it," said Van as he zipped up the bag. "Shall we go?" asked Van holding a hand out for Fiona. She happily took it. The two walked over to the vents and Van looked up to it. "I will go first to make sure that the way is clear. Ok Fiona?" asked Van. Fiona just nodded her head. After a bit of struggling due to his injuries he managed to make it up and Fiona followed closely behind him.  
  
The two of them crawled through the slightly cramped up air vents. "Where are we going to go through these?" asked Fiona. "We are going to try the hanger. Maybe we can quietly get in a zoid and get out of there before they notice us. Either that or I can create a diversion for us to use to get out of there," said Van. Suddenly Van stopped and signaled for Fiona to stop too. "We're here," whispered Van. He slowly opened a hatch and crawled out of it. Fiona just remained where she was. "Come on," whispered Van helping Fiona down when she came. Van took a look out from the hiding place and noticed that there were a good amount of guards around the area. "This may be more difficult then I thought," said Van. He then noticed a command wolf that was nearby. He grabbed Fiona's hand and slowly made his way over to it. "Get in," whispered Van giving Fiona a boost into it. Van then took off. "Where are you going Van?" asked Fiona. "I am going to create a distraction so we can get to the controls to the hanger door. When I do this you take off. I will catch up as soon as I can open up the doors," said Van. He then noticed the worried look on Fiona's face. "Don't worry. I will be ok. You just need to pick me up before you leave," said Van. "Ok," said Fiona.  
  
A sudden tumbling of boxes took the guards in the area by surprise. "What was that?' asked a guard. "Lets go check it out," said another. They walked over towards it but neither of them noticed Van jumping over some other boxes. Another crash was heard. "Their here," said the first guard. "We'll get them. No need to call the others," said the second guard. They walked over to it.  
  
"This is my chance," said Van as he jumped out and ran towards the now moving command wolf. "Fools," laughed Van when he spotted them and they were only now seeing what was going on. He ran up to a control panel and typed a few buttons on it as the guards started to run at him with the gun ready to fire. The hanger door opened up very slowly and Fiona moved quickly to get out of it. Van jumped onto the leg and climbed up to the cockpit. He hoped in and noticed that there was only one seat. "This is just great," said Van as he took the controls as Fiona sat in his lap blushing slightly. "Out of all the zoids we could have chosen we chose the one that had only one seat," said Van. "Let's just get out of here," said Fiona. "Oh right," said Van as he moved the command wolf at full speed out of the hanger.  
  
The bright sunlight hit their face full force once they had left. "We have been in there for so long that the sun just seems so bright compared to the darkness of that base," said van. "Van there are zoids approaching," said Fiona. "Don't worry. I will take care of them," said Van. Before he could get a shot off though. The command wolf was hit by several shots. They were now riding over a very dry area. The shots just kept coming at them. "This isn't good," said Van. "I can't get them off me," said Van. "Van watch out," yelled Fiona as a shot hit the dried ground and opened up a huge crater in it. Van was having a little trouble getting the command wolf to stop since they were so close. They reached the edge of it and fell down into it. Van and Fiona let off a yell as they plunged into the depths of the dark hole. 


	26. rediscovered feelings

Zack walked up to what was a huge hole. "What happened?" he asked in a very threatening tone. "S-sir. We pursued them but this place was very fry and an hole opened up," said a very nervous soldier. "You were to make sure that the girl didn't get killed," yelled Zack. The nervous guard fell backwards due to his rage. "S-sorry sir," said the even more nervous guard. Zack then turned around to Ryan. "Is there any sign of them?" asked Zack hoping that Ryan would give him a better answer. "There is a rather large pile up down there and it might take weeks to clear it out enough to be able to see what happened to them," said Ryan calmly. "Get it done as soon as possible and you had better hope that the girl is still breathing," warned Zack staring at the soldier. At the look he was given, he suddenly coward back in fear once again. He walked off with Ryan right behind him. "Imbeciles," muttered Zack.  
  
A low groan was heard from deep inside a cave. Van opened his eyes yet he saw very little of where he was. "Fiona?" asked Van looking around the cave. He saw nothing or heard nothing from her. He looked around with worried eyes and saw the large cave in that was a mere few feet from him. "Oh no," said Van as he ran up and started to move rocks out of the way. "Fiona," yelled Van moving rocks out of the way as quickly as possible. A suddenly groan was made from an area behind Van. He turned around seeing Fiona slowly sitting up from behind a bunch of rocks. "Van I am over here," said Fiona rubbing her head. Van quickly ran over to her. "Are you ok?" asked Van looking Fiona over for any injuries other than what she already had before. "I am fine, but I have a major headache," said Fiona. "Thank goodness that you are ok. I thought that you were caught underneath all of those rocks," said Van as he pointed towards the large pile of rocks. "Where are we?" asked Fiona looking around the very dark cave. Van took a look over it as well. "We must have fallen into an underground cave when we fell down that hole," said Van. "Were you hurt in any way from the fall Fiona?" asked Van still looking her over for injuries. "No. Like I said I only have a headache," said Fiona. "That is good," said Van.  
  
"What is up with you Irvine?" asked Moonbay upon seeing a slightly confused look on his face. "It's nothing," said Irvine. "You're lying and I just know it," said Moonbay. "Fine. If you must know it is something that I saw," said Irvine. "What?" asked Moonbay. "Here take a look," said Irvine as he pulled a flier out of his back pocket. Moonbay took one look at it and her face seemed to brighten up. "Wow this looks like fun," said Moonbay. "I know," said Irvine. suddenly her expression turned into a sad one. "What about Van and Fiona?" asked Moonbay. "Crougar said that they were trying to deal with that problem," said Irvine. "I will bet one thing," said Moonbay. "What?" asked Irvine. "After all that has happened. I am sure when they come back that they will enjoy this," said Moonbay with a smirk on her face. "I wonder how they are doing," said moonbay as a sad look overcame her face.  
  
"Hey Van. Look what I found," said Fiona as she picked up the bag of supplies that they had packed before they had left. "Alright," said Van happily as he ran over to her. "We could probably use some of this stuff until we get out of here," said Van as he rummaged through the items. "Why don't you try to rest? I will see if any of this stuff can help us get a fire for tonight. Once I do that I will stand guard just in case," said Van. "Thank you Van," said Fiona. "Just get some rest and we will try and find a way out of here tomorrow," said Van with a smile. Fiona went to lie down on the ground and wrapped one of the blankets that they had grabbed and fell into a light slumber. Meanwhile Van was having a bit of a problem. There was a few bags that he thought he could use to make a small fire. "Stupid things. Why won't you light?" growled Van as he tried and tried again but they just would light on fire. After a number of minutes of fighting with it a small fire was going Van sat back against a rock and kept an eye out for anything. Van didn't know if those people knew about this cave or not but he felt that he should be extra careful.  
  
Fiona didn't know how long she had been sleeping. She opened her eyes and saw a small fire going and Van sitting by it half asleep. Suddenly she saw something move in the corner of her eye. 'What was that?' Fiona asked herself as she looked in that direction. She saw nothing there. 'Must have been my imagination,' thought Fiona as she looked back at Van. What she saw horrified her greatly. There was Ryan with his sword in his hand standing right behind Van and Van didn't even seem to notice him. He was looking right at her and he signaled for her to be quiet. Fiona was so scared that she couldn't do or say anything. Ryan brought his sword into the air ready to strike. He quickly brought it down upon Van. It went right through his stomach and Ryan then quickly brought it out and slashed Van across the back. He only thing that Fiona could do at the moment was scream.  
  
Van who had been about to fall asleep was suddenly woken up with a start when he heard a loud scream coming from the sleep Fiona. "Fiona. What is wrong?" asked Van scared of what was wrong with her. She didn't reply so he got up and started to walk towards her. She suddenly started to move. She got up quickly and moved far away from Van. She continued to scream. She then said, "Keep away from me!" Van took another step towards her and she took another step away from him. "What is wrong Fiona?" Van asked once again. He received the same reply. He received a scream and then a yell for him to stay away from her. He continued to step towards.  
  
Fiona continued to back away from Ryan as he continued to slowly walk towards her as if very cautious. "Keep away from me," screamed Fiona. "What's wrong. Upset that I killed Flyheight?" asked Ryan. "Stay away," screamed Fiona as she continued to back away from him. Suddenly her back hit the side of the cave. 'Oh no," said Fiona.  
  
Van took a final step towards Fiona until he was right in front of her. He put a hand on Fiona's shoulder as he looked into her eyes. All they held at the moment were nothing but fear. 'What is she so scared of?' Van asked himself. Suddenly she slapped his hand away and ran off to the side. "What is going on Fiona. What is wrong with you? It is me Van," said Van with a lot of worry all over his face. The scared look just remained on her face. "Calm down Fiona," yelled Van to the frightened Fiona. He quickly moved towards her and wrapped his arms around her in order to try and restrain her long enough for to try and calm down. It didn't seem to bee working because she only started to scream even louder and she was struggling with all of her might to get out of his embrace.  
  
"Calm down. I am not going to kill you, yet," sneered Ryan as he had his arms wrapped firmly around Fiona. No matter how hard she struggled to get out of it she just couldn't seem to be able to do it. "Let me go," Fiona screamed loudly. "I can't," he said as the hold seemed to become even stronger as her efforts increased to break out of his arms. "I told you to calm down," he yelled at her. "Let go," Fiona screamed again. Suddenly Fiona seemed to lose her balance and she started to fall taking him with her.  
  
Van found that with all the struggling that it was becoming rather hard for him to keep his balance with her moving as much as she was. When she started to tip over he ended up falling right along with her. When they had regained control from the fall they found that they had ended up landing on each other with Van on top. Van started to shake Fiona. "Fiona," yelled Van. It was no use she was simply not doing anything but trying to escape. 'Wait a minute. Maybe I can try what she did before. It worked for me but will it work for her," Van thought. 'Oh well here it goes," said Van as he moved his head down and kissed Fiona. The struggling seemed to continue for a while until they seemed to slow down a great deal. 'I know this feeling,' thought Fiona. 'It is the same feeling I got from the times I kissed Van. Wait a minute,' thought Fiona. Suddenly the picture that she was seeing seemed to blur and then came back together. What she saw was Van laying on top of her kissing her. "V-Van," stuttered Fiona. "What was wrong with you Fiona?" asked Van looking into her eyes with his worried ones. Van suddenly seemed to notice the position that they were in and quickly got off of Fiona blushing like mad. "I was dreaming, I think," said Fiona. "Yeah. You seemed to react to everything that I did," said Van. "It wasn't you I saw though. It was that guy Ryan. He appeared and killed you and then came after me," said Fiona. "Like the dreams you used to have?" asked Van. "Sort off. Except that this one seemed much more real than all the others. It was more like my dreams were mixing with reality. I saw you as Ryan after he killed you and everything that you did. He did," said Fiona. "Don't worry. It will be ok," said Van as he embraced Fiona in a hug. Van didn't know why but suddenly he had an urge to kiss Fiona again. He pulled away slightly and looked into her eyes. She did the exact same as him. they moved the head forwards until they started to kiss.  
  
The kiss lasted for a while until they both broke away for air. Fiona really didn't know what to say. They just stared at each other. Suddenly a thought struck Fiona. "Van. I thought that you said that things could never go back to the way they were," said Fiona remembering the argument that they had had when she first came back. "I guess I did say that," said Van, "But things weren't exactly the best back then since you were trying to run away," said Van with a smile. "Fiona. I am sorry. I have been a real jerk to you for the past few weeks since you came back. So I am asking you if you could forgive me for that," said Van looking pleadingly at Fiona. Fiona responded by wrapping her arms around Van. "Of course I do. If you can forgive me," said Fiona. "I do," said Van. "Just please don't leave me again," said Van with a hint of sadness in his voice. "I won't. I will stay by your side like I should have all those years ago," said Fiona tears falling from her eyes as she hugged Van tighter. 


	27. Paradise

Little by little Fiona's eyes slowly opened up. 'Was it all just a dream?' Fiona asked herself when she laid eyes on Van. There he was just sitting right next to what was left from the fire from last night. Van noticed that Fiona had woken up and he smiled. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?" asked Van with the smile still on his face. Fiona just nodded her head. "That is good to hear," said Van. Van took a look at Fiona's face and noticed a slightly confused look that she had on. "What's wrong?" asked Van. "N- nothing," stuttered Fiona. "Really?" asked Van as he stood up. "Yeah. I was just wondering something that is all," said Fiona. Suddenly Van started to let off a slight chuckle. "What?" asked Fiona looking at Van hard. "Let me guess. You were wondering if it was a dream or not," said Van as he chuckled even more at the surprised look on Fiona's face. He walked over and sat down right next to her. "Does this answer your question?" asked Van as he brought her in for a kiss. She was surprised at first but quickly got into it. After a little while they broke apart and Fiona was left speechless. "Come on. Lets try to find a way out of here before they learn that we are still alive," said Van as he held a hand out for Fiona. After staring at it for a second a smile crossed her face and she took his hand.  
  
"Is there any word yet?" asked an annoyed Zack as Ryan entered the room. "The hole is much deeper than anyone thought. It is definitely going to take a while. Even if we are using a lot of our soldiers to help dig through the rocks," said Ryan. "Make them work faster. We need to get the girl back. All of our plans are depending on those zoidians. If we lose one then all that we have done for it would have been for nothing," said Zack. "I realize this. I have been trying to make them go faster but they just aren't able to do much more," said Ryan. "They are all useless I tell you," said Zack as he massaged his head when a headache started to form. "Yes I have heard you say that a lot," said Ryan with a laugh. "Just get it done as soon as possible," said Zack as he waved Ryan away.  
  
Going through the cave wasn't really easy for Van and Fiona. It was still a bit dark all that they had was a small flashlight but it still made it hard for them to move around. "How far do you think this cave goes?" asked Fiona. "I don't know. It does look like it will go on for a while," said Van since he couldn't see any glimmer of light in the distance to indicate an opening in the cave. "We have been walking for hours. I just wish that something would happen," said Fiona. Suddenly she let off a yelp. 'What's wrong?" asked Van as he shone the flashlight on her. "It's nothing. I just accidentally hit a rock," said Fiona as she massaged her foot. "You ok?" asked Van. "Yeah. My foot is just sore," said Fiona. "Can you walk?" asked Van holding out a hand. "Yeah," said Fiona as she took his hand and he helped her off of the ground. "Lets move a little faster. I want to get out of here soon," said Van.  
  
Hours and hours of walking later they still found themselves stuck in the cave. "Wow. This is a huge cave. I am starting to wonder if it even has an ending to it," said Van in an amazed tone. "I am getting tired," said Fiona with a yawn. "It is probably getting a bit late," said Van. "Do you think that we should stop for a while?" asked Van. He received no reply. "Fiona?" asked Van as he turned around to look at her. "Do you see that Van?" asked Fiona as she squinted her eyes in the direction that they were going. Van turned to look and sure enough he did see a very faint light up ahead. "An opening," said Van in an excited tone. "Come on," said Fiona as the two of them ran forward towards the light. The light came closer and closer until they were right at it. "Wow," said an awed Van as he admired what he saw. "Yeah," said Fiona in the same state. What they saw was a very beautiful forest right outside the exit to the cave. "This place is beautiful," said Fiona as she waked out into it. "Wait up," said Van as he ran after her. Fiona looked up into the sky and saw that the sun was just setting. "Where are we?" asked Fiona. "I don't know. I never heard of a place like this," said Van looking around at all the lush plant life. "Let explore this place for a while," said an excited Fiona. Van could only smile.  
  
Night had completely fallen but Van and Fiona continued to explore. What they saw next was more beautiful then they thought possible. "Wow," said Fiona as she laid her eyes on a beautiful lake. It seemed to give off a light glow under the light of the moon. "Fiona what is it?" asked Van as he walked up to her. Just like Fiona he couldn't help but admire the beautiful lake. Suddenly a smirk crossed his face. "Hey why don't we go for a swim?" asked Van. "But we don't have any swimsuits," said Fiona. "So," said Van as he got undressed and jumped into the lake. "What are you waiting for Fiona?" asked Van as he came to the surface. "No, no, no, no," said Fiona shaking her head. "Why not? It isn't like it is nothing I haven't seen before," said Van with a smirk on his face. Fiona just turned red. "Come on. If it will make you feel a little better. I will turn around," said Van as he turned around in the water. "Fine," said Fiona quietly as she slowly got undressed. Van waited until he heard a splash of water, which meant that Fiona got in. He turned around to see Fiona so deep under water that only her head showed. "Why are you so embarrassed?" asked Van with a grin. "I don't know," said Fiona quietly as she turned in the opposite direction. Van took this opportunity and dove quietly under the water.  
  
'I can't believe I am doing this,' thought Fiona, 'I mean. We basically just got together again,' she thought. 'I wonder if Van is feeling like this," she thought to herself. "Um, Van," said Fiona without turning around. She received no reply. "Van?" asked Fiona this time turning around. There was no one there. "Where is he?" Fiona asked herself. Suddenly Fiona felt something grab her leg and pull her under the water. Fiona swam quickly to the surface and took a big breath, She noticed that Van was above the water again and laughing like mad right next to her. "That wasn't funny," said an angry Fiona. "Sure it was," said Van, "Try to lighten up a little," he said with a smile. "Lighten up a little?" asked Fiona. Suddenly a smile crept onto her face. "Ok," said Fiona as she grabbed Van and threw him underwater. It was now that she started to laugh. However Van never came up. "Van?" asked Fiona in a worried Voice. He still didn't come up. "Van, Van," yelled Fiona as she searched for any sign of him. Suddenly something grabbed her and she felt herself being dragged underwater.  
  
Fiona felt herself being held underwater by a pair of strong arms. She slightly opened her eyes and through her blurred vision she saw Van holding on to her with a slight smirk on his face. She struggled but he kept her held down there with him. Se tried to say, "Let me go." However it only came out as bubbles. She was quickly running out of air. Van noticed this and brought her to the surface quickly.  
  
Fiona gasped for some much needed air when she reached the surface. Van however didn't seem to be in as bad of a condition considering that he had been under the water much longer. Right now he was laughing. "Don't do that again. I could have drowned," Fiona pretty much yelled. "Do you actually think that I would let you drown like that?" Van laughed. She didn't reply to this. Van swam up to her slowly and wrapped a pair of arms around her waist. Yet he still didn't stop laughing. "Stop it," said Fiona hitting Van playfully. "Ok," said Van as he tried to gain control of his laughter. Fiona noticed that Van still had his arms around her waist. She didn't say anything though. She was enjoying the warmth of his body against hers. All she did was try to move a little closer. Van noticed this. Very slowly he moved his head down and started to lay light kisses on her neck. Fiona gave a slight moan to show that she was enjoying what he was doing. Van gave off a smirk as he continued to kiss her neck. Fiona couldn't seem to take much more because before Van could react she turned around in his arms and she kissed him on the lips. They just stayed that way kissing very passionately before they separated for some much needed air. "Van," was all Fiona could say before she went up and started to kiss Van again. She pulled away from him. "Please don't stop," said Fiona. Van seemed to know what she was talking about. He then went back to kissing her. Fiona could now feel his hands start to wonder up and down her body. Suddenly Van picked Fiona up. Fiona was a bit surprised by this. "What are you doing Van?" asked Fiona as Van started to carry her towards the shore. "You'll see," Van whispered into her eyes.  
  
Van with Fiona still wrapped around him came out of the water and he walked a little ways onto the land. He suddenly stopped. Carefully he lowered himself and Fiona and placed her gently in the grass. He had every intention on having her to himself once again. That was exactly what he got.  
  
Fiona had her head on Van's chest and savored the warmth that he gave off after what they had just gone through once again. With her head on his chest she could hear his heartbeat. It gave a soothing feeling for Fiona as she completely forgot about all of the dreams that she had been having. Sleep started to catch up to her. She slowly closed her eyes and fell off into a peaceful sleep. Van seeing this smiled. He noticed the bag that they had brought and reached out for it without trying to wake up Fiona. He managed to grab it and he opened it up. After searching around in it for a minute he grabbed out of it a blanket they had taken. He unfolded it and wrapped it around the two of them before laying back and closing his eyes. Before he fell asleep though he whispered something to Fiona even though she was asleep. "Good night Fiona. My love." 


	28. return

Darkness was all around him. He was all by himself. Or so he thought. He heard a noise and turned around to see Fiona standing there. "Fiona?" asked Van with a confused look on his face. Suddenly before his very eyes she started to vanish. "Fiona," yelled Van as he rushed towards her. All he did was pass right through her. "No don't leave me again," said Van as a tear fell down his face.  
  
Van eyes shot open very fast. He looked around very quickly thinking that Fiona might have left again. There she was though. She was still laying right beside him. "It was just a dream. It was just a dream," Van repeated to himself. Van wrapped his arms around Fiona and closed his eyes. 'It was all just a dream, She is right here beside you, and she said that she wouldn't leave again,' Van said to himself as he fell asleep.  
  
The sunlight crept through the trees and fell directly upon the faces of Van and Fiona. Van covered his face with his to block the sunlight from his eyes. He was glad though to see that Fiona was still there and waking up herself. "Morning Fiona," said Van as she looked into his eyes. Fiona just closed her eyes again and said, "Five more minutes." "As much as I would love to, we have to go. I am sure that they are all worried about us," said Van with a smile. Fiona finally gave up and slowly stood up. She went and grabbed her clothes and put them on with a nice smile on her face. Van walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist will kissing her neck. "You ready?" asked Van as he continued to kiss her neck. "I guess," moaned Fiona through Van's kisses. Van then stopped but kept his arms around her. "Then let's go," said Van.  
  
"Van. How far do you think the next town is?" asked Fiona. "I don't know. We will get there when we get there. When we do we might be able to get directions or a ride back to the base," said Van as they walked through the hot desert. "It is so hot out here," said Fiona as she wiped sweat from her head. "I know. It makes me wish we were still at that lake," said Van as he too wiped sweat from his forehead. Fiona didn't say it but she was getting thirsty fast. Van noticed this and held out some water for her. "If you want some you only have to ask," said Van as he shook the water. "Don't you think that we should save some?" asked Fiona. "We have plenty and you haven't taken all that mush as it is," said Van. Fiona smiled and took the water and took a decent amount but not too much. They were now walking up a hill. By the time they got to the top they gasped. There was a town on the other side of it. "I didn't think that we would find one this quickly," said Van. "Now we might be able to get a decent rest at a hotel. One in a bed. Not in a cell or on the ground," said Fiona happily. "I don't know it was awfully comfy on the ground with you," said Van causing Fiona to blush. "Come on. Lets get there so we can get something to eat," said Van putting a hand out for Fiona. She took it quickly.  
  
Walking into the town. They found it was a very nice town. The people seemed to be very happy. "Now where is a restaurant?" asked Van as he searched through the crowds. "Hey Van, over there," said Fiona as she pointed towards a small building. "Let's go," said Van as he led them over towards the building. Walking through the doors of the place they quickly found a seat.  
  
"That was definitely good," said Van as he patted his stomach. "I'll say," said Fiona happy that she could finally have a decent meal. "Now to find out where we are," said Van as he got up and walked towards a person. "Excuse me," said Van to an elderly man. "Yes?" asked the man as he looked at Van. "I was wondering if you could tell us where we are?" asked Van nicely. "In a restaurant," said the old man. "No I mean this entire place," said Van. "Planet Zi," said the old man. Van just slapped his forehead. "What is the name of this town?" asked an irritated Van. "Oh why didn't you say so," said the old man. "I was," Van nearly yelled if Fiona hadn't tried to calm him down. "You are at a town called. what was the name of this town again?" the old man asked Van. "That is what we are asking you," said an extremely irritated Van. "Really you are?" asked the old man. "Just shoot me now," groaned Van when he knew he wasn't getting any answers.  
  
After a number of minutes more of asking questions and getting stupid answers Van and Fiona exited the restaurant with no more knowledge than they had when they went in. "It was a hopeless cause to even ask that guy," said Van trying to calm his nerves. "Just ask someone else," said Fiona. "Sure just one thing," said Van. "What is that?" asked Fiona. "No old guys," said Van with a laugh. "Sure thing," Fiona laughed with him. Van just decided to ask the next person he saw. A young lady passed by. "Excuse me but could you tell me the directions to the nearest army base?" asked Van. "Sure thing handsome," said the woman flirting with Van. "It is about 100 miles north of here," said the woman. "I would be glad to go with you if you are all by yourself," said the woman not even noticing Fiona. 'The nerve of this woman,' thought Fiona. Van saw the jealously in her eyes and thought that it was kind of cute. "No thanks. I already have somebody," said Van as he wrapped his arms around Fiona and pulled her into an embrace. Fiona blushed a bit but got into it quickly. The woman then just walked off without a word. "Thanks," yelled Van after her but she didn't reply. "That was rude," said Fiona.  
  
Van walked into their hotel room holding something in his hands. "What do you have there Van?" asked Fiona upon seeing this. "A map," said Van a he held it up. He unfolded it and placed it on a table. "As far as I can tell. We have traveled a big distance from the others. "It might take weeks to be able to get back," said Van as he pointed to their current location and then to the base. "How are we going to get there then?" asked Fiona. "I don't know. There is no transport that can take us in that direction. Also I asked about the base we escaped from and these people know nothing about it," said Van slightly disappointed. "At least we both got out alive," said Fiona in a comforting way. "Yeah that is good," said Van as he sat on the bed and wrapped his arms around Fiona pulling her onto his lap. He then gave her a quick kiss. She just came back with a larger more passionate one. Suddenly they were brought out of it when they heard the voice of someone very familiar.  
  
"Here is the stuff you ordered old man," said Moonbay. "Thank you missy," said the man. "Can I ask you a question?" asked Moonbay hoping that he would be able to help her find Van and Fiona. "What is it?" asked the man with a smile. "Have you seen any soldiers around here that aren't from the Republic, Empire, or Guardian Force around here. If you did. Do you know where they came from?" asked Moonbay. "I am sorry but I don't," said the man. "That's ok," said a disappointed Moonbay. "However you aren't the only one that asked me today. A young couple came around and was asking very similar things," said the man. "A young couple?" asked Moonbay slightly interested. "Yeah. One was a tall boy with spiky black hair and dark eyes. The other was a beautiful young girl with blonde hair and Crimson eyes," said the man. 'Could it be?' Moonbay asked herself. "Where are they?" asked Moonbay as she shook the man. He merely shrugged. "I don't know. They only asked me, and the kept on moving," said the man. Moonbay stopped shaking him after this. "I see," said moonbay as she turned around only to come face to face with Van. "I thought I heard you," said Van with a smirk. "Van," yelled Moonbay and then she noticed Fiona. "Fiona! You two are alright," yelled Moonbay as she gave Fiona a hug. "Long story. Do you think that you can give us a ride back?" asked Van. "Sure thing. I was heading back anyways," said Moonbay with a smile. "Come on Fiona. We can finally go back," said Van nicely as he walked up to her and took her hand. Moonbay noticed this and smiled a very happy smile.  
  
"Really? Is that so?" asked Moonbay once Van had told her the entire story of what happened except for the little lake scenario. "Yeah. We barely escaped with our lives," said Van. "It is good to see that you did though," said Moonbay. Moonbay would have asked more but when she looked back both Van and Fiona had fallen asleep in each other's arms. 'They finally made up. I am glad to see that,' thought Moonbay with a smile.  
  
The Gustav came into the base and came to a stop. Moonbay hopped out of it but Van and Fiona stayed in. "You guys wouldn't believe what happened when I went to deliver my load," said moonbay happily. "What?" asked Irvine curious as to what is making her so happy. "Take a look," said Moonbay as she pointed towards the Gustav. Irvine's jaw nearly dropped to the floor as Van and Fiona came out of the Gustav. "Van, Fiona," yelled Irvine as he ran over to them. "What? How?" asked Irvine at a loss for words. "I will explain later," Moonbay whispered into his ear. "Irvine. where is Kristi?" asked Fiona nicely. "Off playing with Zeke somewhere," said Irvine. as if on cue Zeke came running up right between them with Kristi on his back. She got off of him carefully and could only stare at them for a moment before tears filled her eyes and she jumped into Fiona's open arms. "Mommy! I thought. I. lost you. again," cried Kristi. "It is ok sweetie. I am back now. So everything will be alright," said Fiona as tears fell down her face too. "Hey Irvine why don't we get out of there way for now," said Moonbay. Without waiting for an answer she just dragged him away.  
  
Once they were out of sight Fiona spoke. "Kristi come with me. You too Van," said Fiona as she led them towards her room. Van knew what she was doing. "What is it mommy? Asked Kristi once they had reached her room and were inside. "There is something very important that I need to tell you," said Fiona with a smile. "What?" asked Kristi nicely. Fiona looked at Van and all he did was nod. "Kristi. You like Van don't you?" asked Fiona in the nicest tome that she could. "Yeah. He is great," said a now happy Kristi. Fiona was happy to hear this. "I am glad to hear this," said Fiona, "Because what I have to say deals with him," said Fiona. "What?" asked Kristi. Fiona decided to just get to the point. "Kristi. Van is your father," said Fiona. Kristi's face then became one of pure delight. Van kneeled down before her and before he could react she flung herself around his neck. "I have a daddy now," said Kristi happily. "Yes you do," said Van with a smile. "And it is just the one I wanted," said a delighted Kristi. Van gave off a small laugh at this. 


	29. preparation

"What's this?" asked Fiona when Moonbay had pushed a flyer into her face. "Just read it," said Moonbay. Fiona took the flyer and read through it thoroughly. A smile crossed her face. "This looks like fun," said Fiona. "I know. That is what I said," said Moonbay with a smile on her face. Fiona looked over the flyer one more time and read what it said out loud. "Attention. In one week there will be a festival that is being held by the lake at New Helic City. Everyone is invited," read Fiona. "A festival is just what we need right now. We could definitely use a break from all this chaos that we have been going through," said Moonbay happily. "Wait there is more," said Fiona. "There is. I guess I didn't read all of it," said Moonbay slightly surprised, "I saw the first part and didn't even bother to read the ending," said Moonbay with a laugh. "Will be very romantic so bring someone you care for and maybe special things will happen," read Fiona. "Romantic huh?" said Moonbay. "Yeah. That is what it says," said Fiona. "Then I guess we all have someone to go with. You have Van. I have Irvine, and Thomas has his mystery girl," said Moonbay causing Fiona to giggle. "Who knows maybe Irvine will admit his love for me," said Moonbay with stars in her eyes. This only made Fiona laugh even more. "I am sure that he will," laughed Fiona. "What are you laughing about? You have someone that you know loves you, but I am not sure that Irvine does love me," said Moonbay very seriously. Fiona suddenly had a serious face. "What's wrong?" asked Moonbay. "Well Van never exactly told me that he loves me. I know that he really cares for me but I don't about him loving me," said Fiona. "You have got to be kidding me. After all that happened between you two. He has never told you that he loves you," Moonbay nearly yelled. "Well no, and I am not even sure that he does," said Fiona quietly. 'You have got to be kidding me. Anyone could tell that he loves her. With how he acted when he left and then putting his life in danger by trying to go to the enemy base to see why they wanted her. How could he not have told her?' Moonbay thought to herself. Suddenly an idea hit her. "Fiona leave it to me. I bet I can get him to tell you his feelings," said Moonbay. Fiona gave off a nervous laugh at this.  
  
"So, you going Thomas?" asked Irvine while they watched Van and his daughter playing. "Yeah," said Thomas simply. "With who?" asked Irvine. "None of your business," said Thomas. "What are you two talking about?" asked Van as he walked up to them as Kristi started to play with Zeke. "A festival that is coming up," said Irvine. "A festival?" asked Van. "Yeah. It is being set up right now and we are all going," said Thomas. "Here read this if you want to learn more," said Irvine as he held out a flyer. Van took it and read it. "A romantic theme?" Van asked. "Yeah. We all have someone to go with at least," said Thomas. "Who are you going with Thomas?" asked Van since he had never seen Thomas with any girl. "He won't tell anyone," said Irvine. "You will have to wait and see," said Thomas not looking at either of them. "Whatever," said Van.  
  
Moonbay and Fiona walked into the hanger and saw the three boys talking to each other. They then started to walk towards the Gustav. "Where are you two going?" asked Van walking up to them. "Girl stuff. No men aloud to come," said Moonbay with a smirk. They then hopped into the Gustav and drove off. "What are they up to?" asked Van. "Probably going shopping for things for the festival," said Irvine. "By the way. When is the festival?" asked Van when he realized that he didn't know. "Tomorrow night," said Irvine. "Right tomorrow. TOMORROW," yelled Van. "Yeah," said Thomas. "Couldn't you have told me a little sooner?" asked Van. "How? You just got back from your extremely stupid mission yesterday," said Irvine. Van found that he had no comeback for this remark.  
  
"How about this?" asked Fiona as she held out a green dress for Moonbay to inspect. "No. the color doesn't suit you," said Moonbay with a shake of her head. "You want to impress Van. You have to find the prefect thing to wear. Stun him with your looks," said Moonbay. "I guess," said Fiona quietly. She looked through many racks but almost everything she saw Moonbay rejected. Suddenly something caught her eye. It was a beautiful pink dress. It was sleeveless and it came up to just below her knees. The neckline was slightly low to show the top part of her chest. "How about this?" asked Fiona as she held up the beautiful dress. Moonbay seemed to be mesmerized by the dress. "I think it would be prefect for you," said Moonbay. They went and paid for the dress and left the store. "Aren't you getting anything?" asked Fiona. "I already have what I need," said Moonbay with a smile.  
  
The next day came quickly and everyone was at New Helic City. After checking into a nice Hotel they all were preparing for later that night. "Are you going to tell us or not?" asked Irvine who was starting to get annoyed that Thomas wouldn't tell them who he was going with. "I already told you. You will have to wait and see," said Thomas. Irvine felt like strangling him at that moment. "Why won't you?" asked Irvine about to lunge at his neck. "It is none of your business why I won't tell you. You will probably find out later tonight do why don't you just wait?" asked Thomas with a smirk at the look on Irvine's face. "Chill out Irvine. It isn't like you can't wait, is it?" asked Van. "I hate waiting for things," pouted Irvine. "Well you will just have to," said Thomas with another smirk. "How long exactly does it take in order for women to get ready?" asked Van looking at the stairs to the lobby of the hotel. "It takes forever," muttered Irvine with his hands behind his head and his feet on the table in front of him. "I hope that you are wrong, because I want to get there sometime tonight," said Van with a frown.  
  
"Like I said. It looks perfect on you Fiona," said Moonbay as Fiona showed off how the dress looked on her. "I am sure that Van will be speechless when he sees you," said Moonbay smiling at her friend. "I hope so," said Fiona with a slight blush.  
  
Van and the others waited patiently for a while and yet neither Fiona or Moonbay came down the stair. "This is driving me nuts. How much longer are they going to be?" asked Van as he paced across the floor. "It isn't like you can't wait is it?" asked Irvine mimicking Van from what he said earlier. Van gave him a nasty glare that made Irvine shrink back a little. They heard footsteps coming down the stairs and turned towards them only to see that it wasn't Moonbay or Fiona but Ashley coming down the stairs. Thomas gave off a smirk that neither Van or Irvine saw. "I wonder who she is with since she can't have you like she wanted," said Irvine. Thomas felt like laughing. Instead he stood up and started to walk towards her. "Where are you going Thomas?" asked Van staring at Thomas. "I can't keep my date waiting now can I?" asked Thomas acting like a gentleman. Van and Irvine's jaws seemed to drop at this. "She was the one that you were with?" asked a shocked Irvine. "Yeah," said Thomas as he took her hand and the two of them walked out of the hotel. "I thought she wanted you. So how did those two get together?" Irvine asked Van. "I know what you mean," said a shocked Van. "And I thought we would be the ones to get those expressions," came Moonbay's voice from behind them. They turned around to see Moonbay standing at the foot of the stairs by herself. "Wow," was all Irvine could say at the look of Moonbay. She was wearing a dark green dress very similar to Fiona's. "Where's Fiona?" asked Van. "She is coming," said Moonbay as she walked up to Irvine and started to drag him out of there. Van watched them leave and then waited for about a minute for Fiona to come down. Then he saw her and his jaw dropped even more then when they saw Thomas's date. 'She looks absolutely gorgeous,' thought Van as Fiona walked slowly towards him. Van was speechless. He then finally found his voice. You look very lovely Fiona," said Van. Fiona blushed a little before saying, "Thank you." Van held an arm out to her. Fiona looked at it for a second. "Shall we go?" asked Van. Fiona nodded and took his arm and the two followed after Irvine and Moonbay. 


	30. fortunetelling

Fiona was awestruck at all that she was seeing. There was everything here. Stuff that included rides, games, and other neat things. "They really went all out for this," said Van as he too looked around the place. "I know. It is very beautiful too," said Fiona still looking at all the stuff. "I know," said Van, 'But not as beautiful as you,' he thought to himself. As he looked around he noticed how crowded the place was. "A lot of people have come for this," said Van. 'I wonder how Crougar is doing with Kristi. It was nice of him to look after her for us while we are all here. Although I think that there might have been another reason, but I hope that she is having fun here,' thought Van. "What do you think we should do first Fiona?" asked Van. "why don't we have a look around and then we can decide once we see something that looks like fun," said Fiona with a smile on her face. "Let's do that then," said Van returning the smile right back at Fiona. He grabbed her hand and the two of them continued to walk down the crowded streets.  
  
'I still don't get it,' thought Irvine as he saw Thomas and Ashley together at a game stall. "I never would have thought it," said Moonbay also seeing them. "I know. One question, didn't she like Van?" asked Irvine. "She must have known that it was a pointless cause because of his feelings for Fiona even though they were arguing," said Moonbay with an emphasis on the word were. "Where do you think Van and Fiona have gone to?" asked Moonbay looking around for her two friends. "Who knows. Why don't we leave them alone though," said Irvine. 'You can do this Fiona,' thought Moonbay, 'Why do I have a feeling that you will chicken out though.' "So what do you want to do now?" asked Irvine staring at Moonbay. "I don't know. Let's just have a look around. Who knows. Maybe we'll find something really neat," said Moonbay with a smirk on her face. "Like what?" asked Irvine. "I don't know. That is why I want to have a look around," said Moonbay.  
  
Van and Fiona walked down the streets and seemed to be very happy. There was a comfortable silence going on between them. They were just happy being around each other. 'Should I say what is on my mind?' Van asked himself. A look came onto his face that Fiona noticed. "Is something wrong Van?" asked Fiona with a worried look on her face. "No I was just thinking about something," said Van putting a smile on his face. "Are you sure?" asked Fiona. "Yeah. I just have a lot on my mind," said Van. "Hey you two," came a rough voice. Van and Fiona were used to the quiet surrounding them that they jumped when the person called out to them. They turned around and saw an old lady dressed in purple robes. She was also about as tall as Fiona. "You talking to us?" asked Van to the old lady. "Yes I am. How would the two of you like to have your fortunes read? I will do it for free to considering that you are the great Van Flyheight, and you must be Fiona," asked the old lady. "How did you? Never mind. No thanks. I don't believe in stuff like that," said Van. "Oh come on Van. I think that it might be fun. Who knows maybe she actually can predict the future," said Fiona with a pleading look on her face. Van saw this and knew he couldn't refuse. "I guess," said Van. 'This ought to be good,' thought Van. The two of them followed the old lady into the hut.  
  
Coming through the small piece of cloth that was supposed to be the door Van and Fiona were met with a strong smell of Garlic coming from the place. "Expecting Vampires?" asked Van as he waved his hand in front of his nose to get the smell of garlic away. The old lady just ignored what he said. Fiona was having a look around the place at all of the odd things that the old lady had. "What is your name?" asked Van to the old lady. "My name is Anne," said Anne. "You sure have a lot of weird things," said Fiona still admiring all of the strange things. "Will you watch where your hand is" asked Anne looking at Fiona. "Huh?" asked Fiona turning around and accidentally hitting something with her hand. Luckily Van caught it before it hit the ground. Anne had a smile on her face at the look Fiona was giving her. Fiona let it go though and turned around to look at the things. What met her eyes though was the sight of a severed hand and an eyeball in a jar. Fiona let of a scream and jumped back right into Van. Van laughed slightly at the look of fear on her face. "That isn't funny Van," said Fiona breathing hard. "Sorry. I couldn't help it," said Van still chuckling slightly. "Where did you get all of this stuff?" asked Van as he too started to look at all of the strange stuff that Anne had in her possession. "I travel all over the world and have collected many strange things in my travels that I have kept as little souvenirs," said Anne in admiration at all that she had collected. "Well these things definitely are strange," said Van looking at the eyeball and hand that Fiona had jumped away from. Trying to get off of the subject Anne decided to get this started. "Now. Which one of you two would like to get your fortunes told first?" asked Anne. Van and Fiona looked at each other. Fiona then spoke up, "You can go first Van." "Then it is settled," said Anne as she grabbed Van by the arm and dragged him away before he could even say anything.  
  
"Please have a seat," said Anne as she went into a different room and pushed Van into a chair. Van rubbed his shoulder where she had been dragging him by and sighed. "Now what would you like to know?" asked Anne looking at Van. "I don't care. Anything I guess," said Van. "Very well then. How about I take a look into the future of you and your girlfriends relationship," said Anne with a smile. She took out a crystal ball and then put it on the table very carefully. Van looked into it as a cloud of smoke started to build up inside of it. "What the," said Van staring intently at it. "Be quiet. I need to concentrate," said Anne. Van shut up with this. 'Why am I doing this?' Van asked himself. "Interesting, very interesting," said Anne as she continued to stare at the ball. "What I don't see anything but smoke inside of it. "Be patient," said Anne. Van continued to stare into the ball and yet all he saw was smoke. He growled in annoyance. "You're feelings for her are deep aren't they?" asked Anne not even looking at her. "Far more than anyone even thinks. You would be willing to give up everything in a second if it meant that you are able to help her. This will end up bringing a future that not even I am able to see at this moment," said Anne. "Can I ask you a question?" asked Anne finally looking at Van. "What?" asked Van kind of skeptically. "Why haven't you said anything about your feeling to her?" asked Anne sitting back within her chair. Van looked kind of nervously at the door. "Don't worry she can't hear us right now," said Anne seeing his movements. "Well you are the fortuneteller. Why don't you tell me," said Van looking at her. "I'm a fortuneteller, not a mind reader," said Anne rather dully. "Well, I," said Van not knowing exactly what to say. "Never mind. You don't have to tell me, but I do suggest you tell her sometime soon," said Anne pointing towards the door. 'How does she know all of these things?' Van asked himself. "Now if you would be so kind would you please send in your girlfriend?" asked Anne nicely. "Whatever," said Van as he got up from the table and started to walk towards the door. Anne looked away from him. "Oh, by the way. Watch your head," said Anne with a smirk. A few mere seconds later she could hear the sound of Van's head hitting a bar. Van left the room grumbling to himself as he massaged his sore head. 


	31. dream or prophecy

It only took about a minute until Fiona came walking through the door into the room where Anne was sitting and waiting for her. "Ah Fiona, The ancient zoidian. It is a pleasure to meet you," said Anne with a small smile upon her aged face. "The pleasure is all mine," said Fiona. "So polite," said Anne, "Now what is it that you would like for me to see? I could do what I did for your boyfriend, but I think that I will let you choose," said Anne. 'What do I want to know?' Fiona asked herself. Suddenly an idea came to her mind that seemed to upset her. "I have been having this reoccurring dream and I was wondering if you could tell me anything about it," said Fiona in the nicest tone possible. "You think that it may be some kind of vision, don't you?" asked Anne. Fiona only nodded her head in response to the question. "I will see what I can do," said Anne as she gazed into the crystal ball. "There are some things that I may not be able to see, but I will try and help you to the best of my abilities," said Anne. After a minute of looking she looked up. "Now this doesn't have to do with your question entirely, but I see a kid in this, a small girl. Is she your daughter?" asked Anne. "Yes she is," said Fiona. "You know about the danger she is in?" asked Anne. "Yes. I have been thinking about it for the past 5 years," said Fiona sadly. "I see," said Anne. "Oh by the way your friends Irvine and Moonbay are about to come in here," said Anne. Fiona looked shocked and looked through a small opening in the door.  
  
Van who was currently examining the strange stuff the old woman had almost didn't notice the door to the hut open and Irvine and Moonbay walk in. "What are you doing here Van" asked Moonbay making Van jump up in surprise. "The fortuneteller offered to read our fortunes for free, but I think she is a loony that has a few good guesses," said Van looking at his two friends. "You need to believe it a little more. I hear this woman is world famous," said Moonbay with a smile. "Right," said Van very skeptically. "Why don't you two make yourselves at home and I will be with you shortly," came Anne's voice. "Oh and Van. Please don't' touch that," said Anne making Van jump away from a vase that he was about to touch. He looked around and saw that there was no way for her to have been able to see that. 'Weird,' thought Van.  
  
"Now back to the task at hand," said Anne looking at the crystal ball once again. Fiona waited intently for her to once again speak. After about a minute she jumped back slightly startled. "No wonder this dreams seems to be disturbing you so much. It would disturb me too seeing the man you love be hurt like that," said Anne. "How did you know? I never told anyone anything about the dream. Van knows about them but he never knew what happened in them," said Fiona slightly startled by what Anne had just said. "I see all with my crystal ball," rhymed Anne. "There is something else though. Although I could see most of it, there are two shadows in the background that I am not able to identify them even with my power," said Anne. "The shadows?" said Fiona trying to remember. She did after a minute. "I almost forgot about those. What could they be?" asked Fiona. "Like I said, I don't know. You should be wary though. I have a feeling that there might be some truth to this dream but this thing is puzzling even me at this moment. Prophecies are etched into time. Very rarely are they able to be changed. If this is one then I suggest that you cherish what you have for now or else you might take the chance of losing it all. Take things now, and maybe it could be made into one of those rare times," said Anne shocking even herself at all that she had just said. Fiona didn't say anything and just stood up and quietly walked out of the room. 'I already knew that. I have been trying to do that for a while yet the dreams refuse to go away. I hope that it isn't one,' thought Fiona.  
  
Van stood waiting for Fiona to come out very impatiently. When Fiona came through the door Van got the urge to ask her what Anne said. "What did she say?" asked Van. "Nothing that I didn't already know," said Fiona looking at the ground. "Cheer up. At least you won't have too many more things that will disturb you more than some of the things you already have," said Van. "What do you mean? Is something wrong with Fiona?" asked Moonbay in a concerned voice. 'They don't even know,' thought Van, 'Better not tell them,' thought Van. Fiona was about to speak to tell them when Van cut in. "There is nothing wrong. She just hasn't been sleeping well lately," said Van knowing that at least he wasn't lying to them. "I hope so," said Moonbay as Anne came back into the room. "Hey old lady. Do you think you can read our fortunes for free like those two?" asked Moonbay getting very excited. "First of all my name is Anne, not old lady. Second, I think I might be able to since you are there friends. I am curious about some of the things that I have seen from those two and maybe you two can help me figure it out," said Anne. "Alright," said Moonbay cheerfully. "Come this way," said Anne with Moonbay following. Van and Fiona went to the door prepared to leave. Irvine who had been silent the whole time finally decided to speak up, "you two are hiding something aren't you?" asked Irvine. "Of course not. Why would we?" asked Van looking at him. "I don't know. I just got a feeling," said Irvine looking at the floor. Van and Fiona just decided to leave it at that and walked out of the hut.  
  
The rest of the evening seemed to go on very peacefully for the two of them. "Hey Van. Let's go on that," said Fiona pointing at a Ferris wheel. "If you want to," said Van as the two of them walked towards it. The line seemed rather short at the moment so they were able to get on rather quickly. Taking their seats in it the ride got moving. "Wow. You can see everything from up here," said Fiona admiring the scenery all around them. "Yeah. You can," said Van looking at Fiona. 'You can do this Van,' thought Van. The ride came to a stop at the top of the Ferris wheel. "Um Fiona," said Van kind of nervously. "Hey van look," said Fiona as she pointing towards the sky where fireworks started going off. "What was it you wanted to say Van?" asked Fiona taking her attention off the fireworks to looking at Van for a second. "Never mind. It isn't important," said Van sadly. 'Liar. It was very important,' his mind yelled at him. Van just ignored the voice and continued to watch the fireworks with Fiona in his loving embrace. Fiona put her head on his shoulder and just enjoyed all that was going on at that moment.  
  
"Mommy, Daddy," yelled Kristi as she ran into Fiona arms. "Hey there. Did you have fun?" asked Fiona with a smile on her face. "Yeah. He was really nice and I had a lot of fun," said Kristi in an excited voice. "Thanks for looking after her for us Crougar," said Van nicely. "It was pleasure. She was fun to be around. I must get back though because there are things that I need to take care of," said Crougar as he walked off. "I vet you are tired now," said Fiona realizing how late that it was starting to get. "Not at all," said Kristi. It would have helped though if she didn't yawn at that moment. "Why don't we head back," said Fiona as Kristi rested her head on Fiona's shoulder and slowly fell asleep. The two of them walked down the street in a very comfortable silence. It was broken though when a voice spoke to them. "Well I am very surprised to find the two of you here." 


	32. found out

The voice took them by surprise. They turned around and saw the source of the voice was coming from a small café. There sat Raven and Reese. Van was relieved because he thought for a second that the voice might have been Zack. "Raven, Reese. What are you doing here?" asked Fiona upon seeing them. "What we can't have a little fun every once in a while?" asked Raven as he took a sip of the drink he had in front of him. "I see you decided to come back," said Reese with a smirk. "Uh, yeah," said Fiona quietly. She didn't really like to talk about what she did all those years ago. "A kid?" said Raven upon seeing Kristi. "So what?" asked Van seriously. Raven just seemed to laugh. "How have you two been?" asked Fiona. "Busy trying to ditch those moronic soldiers," said Raven taking another sip out of his drink. "They just won't leave us alone," said Reese. "I know. We had a run in with them a few days ago. We were even taken to their base. We were lucky to escape," said Van. "Their base? Do you know where it is now?" asked Raven looking at Van. "Unfortunately no. Upon our escape we fell into a cave and have no idea how far it went or where it was that we ended up," said Van. "Darn. I thought I could go and pay them a visit and tell them to leave them alone. I thought that with a little persuasion that I could get them to leave us alone," said Raven with an upset tone. "Persuasion? Yeah right. You would probably try to beat them all up," said Van with a slight laugh. "You found me out," said Raven.  
  
Amidst all the talking going on with everyone Ryan sat on a rooftop. 'He is going to be happy to know that they are alive since our little spy has stopped following orders,' thought Ryan as a smile crossed his face. 'To think that I only came here for the heck of it, and I end up running into the zoidians that we have been after all this time, and together for that fact. This is just too good of an opportunity to pass up,' he thought as he stood up and looked down upon the four figures. He then jumped off the side of the building into the small area down below.  
  
They seemed to be having a nice little conversation when suddenly something landed right behind Reese and a dagger was put to her throat. "I suggest none of you make a move or else she will die," said Ryan in a very calm voice, "and I wouldn't try your mind tricks on me zoidian because I won't be effected by them like some of the other people that you have met," he continued. "I remember you," growled Raven thinking back to what he had done to him a few years ago. "Good. I am glad that you remember, because I would be hurt if you had forgotten what I did to you," said Ryan with a smirk on his face. "Wait a minute. You are the one that did that to Raven?" asked a shocked Van. "You wouldn't believe how easy it was," said Ryan as he held the dagger to Reese's throat. Suddenly something seemed to catch his eye. Fiona noticed that he was suddenly looking at her. 'Why is he looking at me? Wait, I don't think that he is looking at me. That can only mean,' thought Fiona as she took a glance at her sleeping daughter. 'Oh no,' Fiona thought, 'He knows,' was the only thing that she could think of. Van noticed this and stepped in front of Fiona. Fiona turned her back to him so as to block Kristi from his view. A smirk crossed his face. "This is perfect," said Ryan as he started to laugh, "We have been looking for another one and you two had it all this time," said Ryan as he continued to laugh. "Shut up," yelled Van as he took a step towards him. "Watch it or something might happen," said Ryan as he pressed the dagger to Reese's throat a little tighter. Van stopped right in his tracks. 'I need to get going,' thought Ryan. He applied some pressure to Reese and she fell unconscious. "Unfortunately I can only carry one at the moment so consider yourselves lucky for now, but I will be back," said Ryan as he jumped into the air and landed on an area that he was able to stand on. He gave off a smile before he once again jumped away this time out of their view.  
  
Fiona couldn't take it anymore and she collapsed to the ground still holding her daughter. "No, no, no," she kept on repeating. "NO! He has Reese," yelled Raven once he was gone. Van was so shocked that he couldn't move. "They know," Van said to himself. "Know what?" asked an angry Raven. "They were after ancient zoidians with a certain power. Luckily for us they didn't know about our daughter," said Van as he collapsed to his knees, "Until now that is," he continued. Raven expression didn't change through all of this. Hew then stormed off. "Where are you going?" asked Van seeing that he was leaving. "To find Reese. Do you think that I am going to just let them have her?" asked Raven. Van just shook his head. Raven then ran off to his genobreaker. Van then turned around to see Fiona still on her knees. Yet he couldn't find anything to say. "Fiona. Lets go back. If he is still around it won't be safe to stay here," said Van while he put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I knew this would happen eventually. I never thought that it would happen this soon though," said Fiona in a tone that made Van's heart hurt. "We need to get her to safety as soon as possible," said Van quietly, "And you as well," he continued.  
  
Irvine and Moonbay walked into the hotel they were staying at after having the night of her life. They soon separated and walked into their separate rooms. When she passed Fiona's room she could hear Fiona crying from within. Moonbay knocked on the door and waited. She couldn't hear Fiona moving inside and a second later the door opened to show Fiona with a tired look on her face and tears running down her face. "Fiona what is wrong?" asked Moonbay acting like an older sister. Fiona didn't say anything. "What happened? Where's Van?" asked Moonbay. "Something happened. We ran into Raven and Reese before we headed back. While we were talking we were interrupted when one of the people that was after me showed up. He used Reese as a shield and ran off but not before he saw Kristi. Moonbay he knows of her now and will most likely come after her," said Fiona as tears fell down her face. Moonbay didn't know what to say. "Where's Van?" asked Moonbay. "He went to get in touch with the base to tell them what had happened," said Fiona looking at the floor. "We are going to be heading back tomorrow to get Kristi and me to safety. What am I going to do? My own daughter is in danger now because they managed to find out about her," said Fiona as a new wave of tears fell down her face. "I don't know. I wish that I did have an answer to it, but I just don't know. Van is right though. We do need to get you and Kristi to safety before they come back for you," said Moonbay.  
  
Ryan walked into a room carrying the still unconscious form of Reese in his arms. He threw her to the ground right before Zack who was sitting behind a desk. "I have a gift for you," said Ryan pointing towards Reese. A smile crossed Zack's face at the sight of Reese. "Finally. Were you followed?" asked Zack. "No. Raven followed me for while, but I ditched him a while ago. So he didn't follow me all the way here," said Ryan as he smirked at the thought of it. "Good job," said Zack. Ryan remained in the room. "Is there something else?" asked Zack. "Yes. I also have a bit of news that I know will interest you,' said Ryan as a large grin showed. "What is that?" asked Zack very interested in his news. "Flyheight and the other zoidian are alive. Also we didn't know this but apparently the ancient zoidian Fiona and Flyheight have a child," said Ryan as his grin widened. Zack suddenly started to laugh. "I wonder why we weren't told of this. My spy should have told us everything but recently we have not been getting anything from her. She should have told us," said Zack. "What is wrong with her?" asked Ryan. "I don't know. Looks like she doesn't want any of this anymore," said Zack. "Not like she didn't want it in the first place," muttered Ryan under his breath. "Enough of this. We finally have what we wanted. Now all we need is the other two and we will get started," said Zack as he started to laugh.  
  
It was very quiet during the ride back in the gustav. Fiona just stared out into the desert as it passed. Van was doing basically the same thing. For once Moonbay wasn't singing her song and was keeping quiet and her eyes on the area in front of her. Kristi was currently sleeping in-between Van and Fiona. Fiona glanced down at her daughter. 'What am I going to do. I need to protect her, but I don't know how. I have barely been able to protect myself. Van has always helped me, but I don't think that he will be able to protect both of us,' thought Fiona sadly. 'I must think of something,' thought Fiona. A thought then came to her. 'It could work, but would I actually be able to do it,' thought Fiona not liking how it was going. 'I might just be forced to,' she thought with a sad look on her face. "What's wrong?" asked Van although he already knew what was on her mind. "It's nothing," said Fiona as she turned the other way. She remained silent for the rest of the trip. 


	33. pushing away

There were no problems in getting back and everything seemed to be peaceful for the time being. "Where are you going?" Moonbay asked when she saw Van walking towards the exit of the base. Van was slightly surprised since he didn't notice her. "He turned around and smiled at her. "I need to take care of something. Can you look after Fiona and Kristi while I am gone?" asked Van as nicely as possible. "You aren't planning on doing anything stupid again are you?" asked Moonbay as she looked at him. "No. I learned my lesson after the last time. I just need to head into town. I should be back in a few hours," said Van. He then walked away without letting her say another word. 'He seemed kind of nervous about something. I wonder what is up,' she thought to herself. "Oh well none of my concern, and I am pretty sure that he isn't going to try anything again," said Moonbay as she walked into the opposite direction. "Now. I wonder where Irvine has gone to," said Moonbay as a smirk formed across her face.  
  
The blade liger soared across the desert sands with its amazing speeds heading for the town that was nearby. "Fiona has been so down recently. I know it is from what happened at the festival but I wish that there was a way to cheer her up," said Van while keeping an eye on the desert in front of him. 'This is bound to cheer her up. At least I hope that it is,' thought Van. He saw the outline of the town coming up over the horizon. "I hope that this will help her," he said as the blade liger came to a stop just outside of the town.  
  
"Mommy are you ok?" asked Kristi in her usual sweet voice. "Yeah, I am," said Fiona. The truth was that she had been thinking of something very important. Something that she had been thinking about over the past week in her head, attempting to help make it easier for her to do when the time comes. 'This may be one of the hardest thing I will ever have to do. Probably just as hard as leaving all those years ago, and maybe even harder,' thought Fiona.  
  
Getting back into the blade liger, Van had a huge smile across his face. 'I can't wait to do this and see the look on her face,' thought Van as he continued to smile. He got the blade liger started and moved it out. "I will do this tonight. It will have to be prefect though,' he thought as he headed back towards the base.  
  
"Hey Van, what do you have there?" asked Thomas seeing Van as he carried something as well as seeming very paranoid at the moment. "Something? I don't have anything," said Van as he tried to move away. "What about that thing behind your back?" asked Thomas trying to see behind him but Van just moved so he couldn't see. "I don't have anything behind my back," said Van as he made a mad dash towards his room. Upon reaching the safety of it he immediately fell onto the bed. "Oh man. I thought that I might not get away with it," he said as he sighed in relief. 'I have one question moron. Do you actually think that you are ready to try this?' asked a little voice in his head. "I hope I am," said Van as he just stared at the ceiling. He looked outside his window and noticed that it was already dark outside. "My how time flies," said Van as he wondered where all the time went. He stood up from his bed and placed something in his back pocket and walked towards the door. "Here goes nothing," said Van as he stepped out of his room.  
  
Fiona sat in her staring at her mirror when she heard a soft knock on her door. "Who's there?" asked Fiona not even looking towards the door. "It's me," came Van's voice. Fiona's features seemed to darken when that was said. "Just a second," said Fiona as she took a deep breath and opened the door to reveal Van standing on the other side. "Something wrong?" asked Van seeing the look on Fiona's face. "I just haven't been sleeping well," said Fiona looking at the ground. "Thinking about the fact that they found out?" asked Van with as much kindness in his voice as he could possibly use. "That and other things," said Fiona not even looking up. "Like what?" asked Van. "It doesn't matter at the moment," said Fiona finally looking at Van. "Listen Van. There is something very important that I need to talk to you about," said Fiona as she once again found the floor very interesting.  
  
"Just trust me about this," said Ashley with a grin as both her and Thomas hid behind a bunch of crates. "I am not so sure about all of this," said Thomas very cautiously. "What? Don't you trust me?" asked Ashley putting on her best smile. "It's not that. It's just that I am not sure about this," said Thomas. "Come on Mr. Serious. You need to lighten up a little," said Ashley with her brightest smile, "Besides we are only doing this to Irvine and Moonbay. Speak of the devils," said Ashley upon seeing them coming. "Just trust me about this," said Ashley as she held a string out to Thomas. He was hesitant at first but then took it. They both watched Irvine and Moonbay as they walked towards them.. They watched as the stopped right at a specified point. "Do it," yelled Ashley. Thomas almost didn't do it but for some reason he did. "Heads up," yelled Ashley to the unsuspecting Irvine and Moonbay. "What does she mean?" asked Irvine unsure of what to make by her statement. "I don't know," said Moonbay. A second later they did learn when a bunch of water balloons fell right on their heads. What made it worse was that they were filled up with cold water. "COLD," yelled Moonbay as all the water balloons drenched her and Irvine. They looked over to see a hysterical Ashley and an amused Thomas. "I'll get you," yelled Moonbay as she charged towards the to faster than a lightning saix. "Run," yelled Ashley as both her and Thomas ran in separate direction from the enraged Irvine and Moonbay.  
  
A number of minutes and a lot of yelling later, Moonbay walked down the halls going to her room to get changed. 'I don't believe them, but I must say that I am impressed that she was able to get Thomas to do something like that. He is too serious at times,' thought Moonbay. She then walked by Fiona's room and heard a discussion going on inside. Her curiosity got the better of her and she decided to listen in.  
  
"What is it?" asked Van since Fiona had been really silent for the last few minutes. Fiona took a deep breath and spoke. "Van, I." said Fiona yet she couldn't get the words out. She took another deep breath and gave it another try. "Van, I want you to stop protecting me," said Fiona looking at the ground. Van was confused by what she was saying. "Huh?" asked Van. "Stop protecting me. I want you to focus more on protecting Kristi," said Fiona still looking at the floor. "But why?" asked Van. "I just want you to ok?" Fiona nearly yelled. Van was taken back by her sudden outburst. "I am going to protect you both," said Van. "No. if you protect us both then it will make it harder for you," said Fiona. "Fiona. Where is all of this coming from?" asked Van trying to look at her face. Fiona just turned out of his view. "Van, stop it! Stop it. I don't want you to because I don't feel safe around you right now," yelled Fiona. 'Liar,' her mind screamed at her. Fiona really hated to do this but to her it had to be done. Van was hurt by what she said. "You don't mean that do you?" asked Van. Fiona took a deep breath and continued. "Yes I do. That is also one of the reason I left. I don't love you Van, and I never will," said Fiona as she felt tears start to come up at her own words but she held them back. She felt like she was about to break down and cry. She also had the urge to tell him it was all a lie and that she didn't mean any of it. The look on Van's face just made it all worse. The pained look on his face just made her heart shatter. He then turned around and started to walk towards the door. "Then does that mean that all that has happened to us was just a mistake?" asked Van in quiet voice to show his hurt. Fiona didn't respond to him. 'Don't do this,' her mind yelled at her again. Van stood in front of the door and turned his head slightly to the side. "Stop toying with my heart," said Van as he opened the door and after nearly running into Moonbay ran down the halls away from the room.  
  
Moonbay was stunned by Van's sudden sprint out of the room. Also by the fact that he looked like he was about to cry. 'What a thing for a grown man like him to do,' thought Moonbay. She looked into the still open door to the room to see Fiona still standing. However there was something different this time from when she was talking to Van. She appeared to be shaking and then the inevitable happened. She fell to her knees and let the tears that she had been holding back flow freely. "Why did you lie to him?" asked Moonbay not liking the sad state that Fiona was currently in. Fiona turned a teary face towards her friend. "I want him to protect only our daughter but he wouldn't he still wanted to protect me," said Fiona as more tears fell down her face. Now Moonbay was really starting to get annoyed. "She walked up to Fiona and got on her knees before Fiona. "Fiona. Forgive me," said Moonbay as she brought a hand back and slapped Fiona hard. Fiona held a hand to her cheek where Moonbay had slapped her and she was surprised. "Stop it Fiona! Stop trying to do what you think is best for everyone, and hurt yourself for doing this. I don't blame Van for what he said about you toying with his heart. You kept doing these things to him. like when you left all those years ago and now this. He cares for you deeply maybe even love you and you keep pushing him away. Well stop it. For once don't think about others and think about yourself," yelled Moonbay. "I can't. it is already too late for me to take it back," said Fiona as more tears formed. Moonbay stood up and started to walk towards the door. "Stop denying yourself the life I know that you wanted before all of this. You have changed and it is not for the better," said Moonbay as she walked out of the room leaving Fiona alone. More tears came out just knowing what she did and what her own friend just did.  
  
Moonbay turned and prepared to go to her room when something caught her eye. She didn't know what it was but she reached to pick it up. 'Van must have dropped it in his sudden departure,' thought Moonbay as she examined it. It was a small black velvet box. She opened it up and was shocked to see what was in it. "Oh my god," said Moonbay as she saw a beautiful gold ring. It had a small diamond on the inside that was in the shape of a heart surrounding by many smaller ones. 'Was Van going to propose to her?' Moonbay asked herself. 'What a lousy time for you to do this Fiona,' she thought as she walked towards Van's room wanting to see the state that he was in.  
  
Van ran into his room trying to hold back all the anger that he was feeling. 'How could she do that to me?' Van asked himself. The anger then turned to sadness. 'I thought that she might have actually loved me, but I guess I was wrong," said Van as he did something he hadn't done in a long time, he cried. Pulling himself off of the floor he fell onto he walked over to the bed and laid down in it. Someone knocked on the door to his room. "Go away," he yelled. The person just opened the door and walked in. Van looked and saw that it was Moonbay. "What do you want?" asked Van. "To see what you were like after what happened. "I guess you would since you were listening in the whole time, and don't think that I didn't hear you," said Van in a rather mean tone. "I only wanted to see how you were doing. You don't have to be so mean about it," yelled Moonbay. Van just stared at the ceiling. "Here, I think that you dropped it," said Moonbay as she threw the small case towards Van. Without even looking at it he swatted it away making it go to the other side of the room. "I don't want it," said Van seriously, "I have no one to give it to," he continued this time in a much sadder tone. "Just leave me alone," said Van as he turned the other way in his bed. Moonbay decided to just leave him alone. Before she left she looked back and Van who was turned the other way and thought, 'You are a fool if you actually believed her.' 


	34. reflections

"Fiona do you know what you are doing to him?" asked Moonbay as she was having a conversation with her. "I don't want to talk about it," said Fiona sadly. "Fiona. Listen. "Don't you want to be happy at all?" asked Moonbay. Fiona didn't even respond. "I can tell that you are suffering from this as well. Not just Van. So why are you still doing this?" asked Moonbay with a bit of sympathy. "I love them both with all of my heart. If something happens to them I don't know what I would do," said Fiona as she looked at the ground. "Then why are you continuing to do this?" asked Moonbay. "Kristi will be better protected with Van protecting only her," said Fiona still looking at the ground. "I swear it is pointless to argue with you. However. Van deserves to know the truth about your feelings and not those lies that you were telling him," said Moonbay, "Do you know how much he has gone through?" asked Moonbay. Fiona remained silent. The she spoke, "I can't," said Fiona as she ran out of the room about to cry. 'Stop doing this to yourself,' thought Moonbay.  
  
Running through the halls of the base Fiona was doing her best to keep strong at the moment. 'Why is it that it hurts so much. It wasn't nearly this bad the last time when I ran away,' thought Fiona. She thought that over in her head many times until the truth hit her. 'I loved him back then I am sure of that, but I love him more than ever now,' She thought as she ran into her room and broke down again. 'I can't take it anymore. Van won't even look at me and I don't blame him. How could I have done that to him?' She thought to herself as the tears started to flow down her face. 'I am doing this for my daughter though. She will have a better future than I have by me doing this,' she thought but that didn't stop the hurting that was going on in her heart. 'Why must I put myself through all of this?' she asked herself. "I hate this," she muttered to herself as she sat on her floor and cried.  
  
Van sat upon the blade liger and was currently working on a few minor repairs. Yet his concentration wasn't on his current task but on the events of what was going between him and Fiona. 'I thought I could put aside what she did all those years ago and be happy again but I guess that isn't a possibility,' thought Van as his head fell. 'Even after all she said I can't forget about her. I loved her and trusted her and then she said all those things and it hurt me so badly,' thought Van as his hand clenched into a fist. He then stood up and walked towards the cockpit. "I need to go clear my head," said Van as he hopped into the cockpit and took the controls. "Maybe a short run will help me do that," said Van as the blade liger took off out of the base.  
  
'Moonbay is right. I have changed a lot in all of these years,' thought Fiona. 'I have changed a lot since Van first found me all those years ago. Back then I didn't even know my actual name. Where I was from. Or why I was put in that capsule in the first place. Van helped me though. He didn't have to yet he did. During all of that time I keep having stronger feelings for him. It made me happy to be near him. it made me not care about my past as much. He did me so much good and yet now I can't do anything good around him. I keep pushing him away even thought I love him. I would have never have guessed that something like this would have happened though,' thought Fiona as she stared at the ground. "I have to stop thinking about this or it will just make it harder than it already is for me to do this. After what I said to him, there would be no possible chance for us to ever be happy together," said Fiona. "Yet I am finding it very hard to keep this up. I am lying to him and myself with all that I am saying. When will this all end? When will we finally be at peace and not have to worry about what is going to happen to the ones that we love so that we can be happy about what we have?" she asked herself. "Even when this is over I won't be happy even if I survive it with Van. Everything that I said will keep us apart for the rest of our lives," she told herself. "I will be all alone with no one beside me. Probably even my daughter will end up leaving my life. I have ruined everything," said Fiona as more tears came to her eyes.  
  
"She is definitely suffering from what she did," said Irvine to Moonbay as they sat down and had a drink of coffee. "I know. Yet she won't try and make things right again. She claimed that she didn't love Van and then pushed him away again. Anyone that isn't blind could tell that she is in love with him. Maybe even the blind would be able to," said Moonbay. "What does Van fall under than?" asked Irvine. "Clueless," was all that Moonbay said. Irvine chuckled a little by this. "I have to agree with you there. He is the only one that doesn't know about her feelings," said Irvine with a sigh. "I don't think that what we did before will help this time. What Fiona has done is probably irreversible unless she can decide to tell him the truth. I doubt thought that that will happen," said Irvine. "She's changed," said Moonbay. "I'll say. All that has happened has gone to her head and it has changed her for the worse rather than a better change," said Irvine. "Remember what she was like when we first met her?" asked Moonbay giggling a little. "Yeah, I remember," said Irvine as he thought back to those years. "She was extremely clueless back then. I remember once that Van and me were tied up and she came in right through our captors planning to get us out. She even announced what she was doing. That was way to good," said Moonbay with a laugh as she remembered that event. "What do you think brought this change about?" asked Irvine. "Probably all the years that she was alone. She probably didn't feel loved by anything except her child," said Moonbay. "She is just going to make things worse for herself if she doesn't tell Van the truth. Since he won't believe any of us," said Irvine with a frown.  
  
Van laid back in the seat of the blade liger and was in deep thought. He held in his hand the case that held the ring that he had bought for Fiona. "Why did I have to fall in love?" Van asked himself. "It has brought me nothing but pain. Yet for some reason I find that I still love Fiona even after she hurt me again. Why is it that I must feel like this? I thought we had another chance for happiness but I guess that was nothing but a lie," said Van. 'Just like all that has happened between me and Fiona,' he thought. 'Do you really think that?' a voice in his head asked him. 'I don't but Fiona seems to think that,' Van answered the voice. "Why does she have this effect on me?" he growled as he said this. "I just can't stop thinking about her. Strange, she hurts me and I can't stop thinking about her. I just don't get that," said Van sadly. "I should have asked the fortuneteller if anything like this might happen. Then maybe I could have avoided the heartbreak," he said as he grasped the controls and got the blade liger going once again. "It is over this time. There is no chance of us ever being together," said Van as he got the blade liger moving towards the base.  
  
Fiona stood up from where she was laying on her bed. Her face was still very teary from all the crying that she had done. "I have to go on. I can't let this one event get me down," said Fiona. The her voice got quieter as she spoke. "I am sorry Van. Hate me if you want but I want our daughter to be safe. If you are only protecting her then you will be able to protect her more instead of if you are trying to protect the both of us," said Fiona as she walked towards the door. 'I love you so much, but this is the way that it has to be. I am very sorry about this," said Fiona as she opened the door to find Ashley standing there. "I need to talk to you," said Ashley. There was something strange about her though. As if something wasn't quite right about all of this. Fiona just ignored it though. "What?" asked Fiona quietly. "Follow me," said Ashley as she walked down the halls. Fiona followed after her. 


	35. taken

"Finally decided to come back?" asked Irvine once he saw the blade liger come back in. "Yeah. I just needed a little fresh air. That is all," said Van as he hopped out of the cockpit and landed safely on the ground. "I don't need to ask to know what you are talking about. By the way have you seen Fiona?" asked Irvine. "No. I would also prefer not to see her at all," said Van as his voice became angry. "Sorry. I was just wondering if you have seen the state that she is in now," said Irvine in his defense. "I don't know, and I don't care," said Van as he speeded up his walking and got away from Irvine. 'If you had seen her then you would know how much she is hurting by all of this,' thought Irvine as he watched Van walk away.  
  
"What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" asked Fiona once Ashley had led her to a deserted hallway. Ashley didn't reply. She turned around and Fiona seemed to think that she was different somehow. She couldn't figure out what it was though. There was something there that seemed to be different though. Staring at Fiona with her blood red eyes was sending shivers down Fiona's spine. 'Wait a minute. Didn't she have blue eyes? That's it. That is what was different,' thought Fiona as the two of them stared at each other. "You are coming with me," said Ashley as she broke the silence between the two of them. "Where?" asked Fiona. "To my master. He is waiting for you," said Ashley in a cold voice that was nothing like her own. "To your master?" asked Fiona getting slightly scared. "Yes. He is waiting for you," said Ashley in the same cold voice as before. "You're working for Zack?" asked Fiona now getting very scared. "Yes, and he is waiting for you. All you have to do is come with me and I will stop all the suffering that you are feeling," said Ashley as she walked up to Fiona who just stepped away from her. "Forget it," said Fiona as she backed away. "You have no choice," said Ashley as she tried to grab Fiona.  
  
A knock came upon Fiona's door but no one answered it. "Hey Fiona, are you in there?" came Moonbay's voice. Still nobody answered. "I guess she isn't in there. I really needed to talk to her too. Maybe she just left and I will be able to catch up to her," said Moonbay as she walked away from the room. "Hey Moonbay," yelled Irvine as he ran up to her. "What?" asked Moonbay as she turned around to look at Irvine. "Have any luck with Fiona?" asked Irvine. "No. I haven't gotten to talk with her because she isn't in her room. I was just going to find her," said Moonbay as she started to walk again. "Van wants nothing to do with her at the moment," said Irvine. "I know. He was hurt pretty bad by what she said so it is no wonder why," said Moonbay seriously. "I was hoping to knock some sense into her and have her apologize and tell the truth but I have no idea where she is at the moment," said Moonbay. "Do you think that she will listen to you?" asked Irvine. "I don't know. I have to try at least. They are my friends and they deserve to be happy together more than anyone of us. All we have to do is get her to tell the truth. That however is the real problem since she won't do it," said Moonbay sadly. "Give her some time and maybe she will tell Van the truth. Right now it is just a hard time for her," said Irvine. Moonbay smiled a little. "I hope that that time will come soon," said Moonbay.  
  
"What is wrong with you?" asked Fiona as she dodged Ashley's attempts to grab her. "I am doing this for my master," said Ashley. "This isn't you. You were never like this," said Fiona as she rushed out of her reach. For a second Fiona could have sworn that she saw her eyes turn blue again. However they immediately changed back. She shook her head and spoke, "This is how I really am," said Ashley but there seemed to be uncertainty in her voice. Her eyes flickered between the two colors again. She suddenly started to scream as she grabbed onto her head. The cold voice was gone replaced by her normal voice in extreme pain. "Get out of my head," screamed Ashley. "Fiona. get out of here before it is too late," screamed Ashley as she clutched her head in pain. "What is wrong with you?" asked Fiona looking at her with worry in her eyes. "Just go," Ashley yelled. Her eyes suddenly turned blood red again and her voice became cold again. "Now that that is dealt with it is time to finish my job," said Ashley as she approached Fiona. Fiona just ran off before she could do anything. However before she got far a cloth covered her mouth. "Got you," came Zack's voice. He was hidden as a soldier in uniform so that no one could see him. Fiona felt herself growing dizzy from something on the cloth. One thought crossed her mind before she passed out. 'Van.'  
  
Zack took Fiona and threw her unconscious form over his shoulder after she had passed out. "I should get going before they find me. act normally and don't remember any of this. You must get the girl for me. she is the final part in my project. I hope I can trust you," said Zack as he looked at Ashley. She just nodded her head. "Good. Ii hope that you will be back soon," said Zack as he walked through the empty hallway to an entrance that he created to get in, in the first place. Ashley's eyes went back to their blue color and she fell onto her hands and knees. "What's going on? How did I get here?" she asked as she looked through the empty hallways. She couldn't remember anything about what was going on. 'Not again,' she thought as she tried to concentrate to remember what was going on. "What is wrong with me?" she asked herself.  
  
"Hey Ashley what is going on?" asked Moonbay as she saw Ashley walking by while she was looking for Fiona. "Nothing," said Ashley as she clutched her sore head. "Have you seen Fiona anywhere?" asked Moonbay looking at her. "Fiona?" asked Ashley. "Yeah. Have you seen her?" asked Moonbay. "No I haven't. I am sorry," said Ashley as she walked away still clutching her head. "Are you ok?" asked Moonbay with concern in her voice. "I am fine. I only have a headache," said Ashley as she walked off. "Wonder what is wrong with her. she didn't seem like her usual self," said Moonbay. She then just shrugged it off and walked off.  
  
Fiona slowly was able to regain consciousness. Her eyes felt heavy but they slowly opened up to find that she was in a dark room. "I see you are finally waking up. It is about time," came Zack's voice. Fiona slowly tired to get up but she was only able to get on her hands. "You won't be able to move so it will be very hard to get out of here," said Zack with a laugh. "What did you do to Ashley?" asked Fiona with anger in her voice. "Oh her. she is my slave you see. Not a very willing one but a slave nonetheless," said Zack with another laugh. "You see. I control everything that she does when I want to. I have been using her as a spy for the past few years since I knew I couldn't get her to do much more. While she is normal she has no memory of what she is doing. Yet for some reason her mind seems to be blocking things off that she won't tell me. things like how you have a daughter," said Zack with a smirk. "Stay away from her?" Fiona screamed at him. "Well I thought you would be happy knowing that she will be joining you again soon," said Zack as his grin widened. "All I have to do is wait for her to come with the girl," said Zack. "If she was there the whole time then why did you not have her do the job a while ago. "Unless I am nearby the control has its limits and she builds up a resistance to it like you saw. Leaving her to do the job by herself will probably take all control of her away from me but I think I can handle it if I have the three of you here," said Zack as he pointed behind Fiona. Fiona turned around and was shocked to see Reese. She was in a glass container filled with a substance. Wires were sticking out everywhere all along the glass. "What is happening to her?" asked Fiona in a shocked tone. "The same thing that will happen to you soon," said Zack. Fiona suddenly felt the drugs kicking back in and she fell unconscious again. "Yes soon. My dream will be complete soon," said Zack with a smirk on his face. 


	36. Moonbay's trouble

"Where the heck is she? I have to talk to her yet I can't find her anywhere," yelled Moonbay after searching for Fiona for a few hours. "Calm down Moonbay. Maybe she just went somewhere so she could clear her head like Van just did. It would make a lot of sense," said Irvine as he watched her. "You are right. I need to calm down," said Moonbay. She then took in a deep breath and released it. "Now. Why don't we look for her," said Irvine as he waited for her reply. "You are right. Where should we look first?" asked Moonbay taking a look around the place. "We could ask around," said Irvine. "I guess. I don't know why but I have a bad feeling about all of this," said Moonbay with a worried expression on her face. "You're just being paranoid," said Irvine. "I don't know. Irvine, can you go and ask around? I will go see if the security cameras can help any," said Moonbay as she turned around. "Do you think that is really needed? She has only been gone for a few hours," said Irvine as he gave Moonbay a confused look. "Just call it a hunch," said Moonbay. She took off into a sprint and was gone before Irvine could say another word. Irvine then walked off thinking it was pointless to argue with her. When the place was clear Ashley came from out of nowhere and stared in the direction that Moonbay went. Her eyes flashed from their normal blue color to the blood red.  
  
"You two can take a break. I need to use these," said Moonbay with a smile on her face. "Uh. You can't," said one of the soldiers. Moonbay sent him a glare that sent both soldiers cowering. "What was that?" asked Moonbay with a fist in front of her. "Uh nothing. Like I said. You can use them. We were just about to take our break anyways. Just make sure not to mess any of this up," said the soldier as he backed up towards the door. "Good," said Moonbay. She put down her fist and a smile crossed her face. "I will try not to be long," said Moonbay as her smile grew. "Take as much time as you would like," said the soldier. "Thank you," said Moonbay as she took a seat in front of the monitors and started to look them over hoping to see Fiona on anyone of them.  
  
"Van. Will you listen to me?" asked Irvine as he ran after a retreating Van. "If it about Fiona. I really don't feel like hearing it," said Van not even looking at Irvine. "We can't find her anywhere Van," said Irvine in a concerned tone. "Maybe she ran off like before. It not like it is any really big deal to her. She did it once and she can do it again," said Van in a hurt voice. "I can't believe you would think that," said Irvine trying to defend Fiona who was like a sister to him. "You don't know what it is like for me though," said Van. "What?" asked Irvine harshly. "You don't know what it is like to care for someone and have them constantly toying with your heart like it is some object that you can do whatever you want to it," said Van as his voice started to break. "You know absolutely nothing," growled Irvine. "I know a lot more about this than you probably do," Van shouted at him. "I know a lot more than you can even think. I know some things about Fiona that you are just too dense to see," said Irvine while glaring at Van. "Like what?" asked Van while glaring right back at Irvine. "That is something that is not up to me to say. You will have to hear it from Fiona if we can ever find her," said Irvine. "Go ahead and look. I am not going to help you though," said Van turning around and walking away again. "You are a heartless man Van," Irvine yelled after him. "If you want heartless. Then go talk to Fiona," said Van quietly. 'He is starting to act like he did when she first came back,' thought Irvine as he watched Van's retreating form. 'How badly did Fiona hurt him though? She loves him yet she pushed him away and hurts him,' thought Irvine. 'Why must she do this to herself? I feel bad because she is like a sister to me to make up for the one I lost before. Without Van with her though, I might just lose her as well,' thought Irvine as he turned around and started to walk off. 'Stop doing this to yourself Fiona,' thought Irvine.  
  
"Well I am sure that Fiona is no longer in the base anymore," said Moonbay after going through the cameras a number of times though. "When did she leave though. I don't remember her leaving the place. Maybe I can find out," said Moonbay as she started to type on the computer very fast. Second later new screens started to pop up showing all different areas on the base at an earlier time. "no, no, no, no, no," said Moonbay as she looked through the wrong screens. "This is really starting to get annoying," said Moonbay. Suddenly though she caught sight of a screen that showed the door to Fiona's room. The door to the room opened and Fiona walked out and Ashley walked up to her. "Wait a minute. This is only a few minutes before I last talked to her and she said that she hadn't seen her," said Moonbay as she watched the scene before her. The two talked for about a minute before they moved off. Moonbay switched to a different screen where she watched the rest of what happened. "Oh no, Fiona. I can't believe what Ashley did. I have to tell everyone," said Moonbay as she stood up and turned around only to get hit in the side of the head by something hard. Everything went black around her as she fell into a state of unconsciousness.  
  
Ashley stood there for about a minute after what she did to Moonbay with a metal bar in her hand. "That should stop you for long enough for me to do my job. I guess I should finish the job though," said Ashley as she brought the bar above her head. She was about to bring it down but something stopped her. she didn't know what it was but it refused to let her finish the job. She scowled at this and eventually gave up. "Might as well destroy the evidence since I can't do this for some reason," said Ashley in a monotonous tone. She walked up to the controls and typed in a few keys before the files on what happened were deleted. "There. Now no one will know what I did. She won't be telling them though because I am sure that she won't be up anytime soon," said Ashley as she left the room leaving the unconscious Moonbay on the floor.  
  
"You'd think that there was someone in this base that has seen her," muttered Irvine as he walked through the halls trying to find Moonbay now. "I mean. Kristi is here so Fiona wouldn't have left her here alone," said Irvine. He walked in front of the door to the security room and opened the door. The first thing that met his eyes was the sight of Moonbay laying on the floor with a wound on her forehead that was bleeding badly. "Moonbay, Moonbay," yelled Irvine as he shook Moonbay in an attempt that she would wake up. He eyes opened weakly for a second before they once again closed. "She's alive, but she can really use some help right now. What happened to her? How could it have happened to her?" asked Irvine as he picked up her unconscious form and ran out of the room. "If you can hear me Moonbay. You have to hold on. I am going to get you some help," said Irvine.  
  
"What is going on Irvine?" asked Van once he walked into the medical ward. "Moonbay was attacked," said Irvine as he pointed towards a bed where Moonbay was laying very still with bandages wrapped around her head. "What happened?" asked Van very seriously. "I don't know. I am really worried though," said Irvine. "I guess I can understand with your feeling for her," said Van with a grin on his face. The first one he had had for a while. Irvine could tell that it was fake though. "Not about that Van. It is something else," said Irvine quietly. "It better not be about Fiona," warned Van. "It is. No one had a reason to harm Moonbay. All she was doing was trying to find her, and she ended up like this," said Irvine with a frown, "It must have been that she was looking for Fiona that this happened. Someone must be hiding something. Something must have happened to Fiona and someone must want to keep what happened a secret. I can tell because a number of the security tapes were erased and it wasn't done by Moonbay," said Irvine. Van didn't even speak, but Irvine knew that this upset him. 'So he still doe have his feelings. He is trying to hide them from the rest of us. I can tell that it is paining him by doing this,' thought Irvine watching his silent friend. Without saying another word Van just quietly walked out of the room.  
  
'They have her. I just know it for some reason. What am I to do though? Fiona hates me and only wants me to protect our daughter instead of her as well,' thought Van as his face took a much more hurt look. 'I hate her for doing this to me. I fell in love with her and she hurt me worse then I have ever been hurt before. Even with all of the battles I have been in and all the wounds that have been inflicted on me. What am I going to do?' thought Van as he walked towards his room. "Daddy?" came Kristi's voice. "What is it?" asked Van trying to hide all of the hurt that he had been going through. "Where's Mommy?" asked Kristi very quietly. 'How do I tell her what I think may have happened to her?' Van asked himself as he just quietly stared at his daughter who was watching him waiting for his reply. "I don't know. We are having a little trouble finding her right now but I am sure that she is fine," said Van hoping that his daughter wouldn't know the truth that her mother life was in danger at the moment. "When will I see her again?" asked Kristi. "I don't know. I hope soon," said Van quietly, "Until then. I want you to stick with me. Ok?" asked Van with a smile. She seemed happy by this. "Ok," said said happily as she ran to his side and walked along with him. 


	37. the truth is out

"Moonbay. Come on. Wake up. You need to wake up. I need you to wake up," said Irvine sitting by her bedside. "Any improvement?" asked Van walking in with his daughter right by his side. "No. She hasn't even twitched a little," said Irvine in a tired voice since he stayed up all night by her side. "You should go and get some rest. I will wait here in case she wakes up. Then we can ask her who did this to her," said Van but when he looked he noticed that Irvine was already asleep. "Ok. I guess that works," said Van. Van let off a small laugh. "I never would have thought that Irvine would act like this. To think that it was with Moonbay. He must really care for her or love her. Love her like I did Fiona, but unlike Fiona she never left him," said Van sadly. "What are you talking about daddy?" asked Kristi. "It's nothing. Just thinking," said Van with a smile.  
  
"After what has happened two days ago, it proves that he must have someone spying on us," said Crougar to Van, Thomas and Ashley since they were the only guardian force members that were at the base or who were actually awake considering the time, which was very early in the morning. "It is the only thing that I can think of considering that Fiona has disappeared, someone's injured, security tapes are missing, and there had to be a way for them to get her out if they did take her," said Crougar. "Can't this wait till later? It is way too early in the morning," said Ashley with a big yawn. 'I had spent most of the night looking and barely gotten any sleep and then he woke me up when I had maybe an hours sleep,' she thought as she yawned again. "No it can't. We have to find out who it is as soon as possible. We want to end this and if we can find this person then maybe we can get some information out of them," said Crougar. "What makes you think that the person is even here anymore?" asked Van as he too yawned. "They are. They still are after your daughter are they not?" asked Crougar. "Don't remind me," said Van sadly. "They would need to keep someone here since they know that you probably never let her leave this place until this is all over. So they would need to keep someone here. That means that your daughter is always in danger Van," said Crougar. "I know that. So she is going to stay with me at all times, or be with one of my friends," said Van as he looked at his daughter who was currently sound asleep in a chair a few feet away. "I realize that this is all very tough for you Van. You keep losing those that are closest to you. First your father, then Fiona, and maybe even your daughter. I am sorry that this had to happen to you," said Crougar with sympathy in his eyes. "Thanks," said Van very quietly so that they just barely were able to hear him.  
  
"What the hell can be taking her so long? She is a friend of Van's so it should be easy to get close and get the girl. So why is it taking so long for her to get here with the girl?" yelled Zack as he paced across the room with Ryan watching him. "With everything that is going on it wouldn't be a surprise if he never let the girl out of his sight," said Ryan trying to get him to stop. "Yes. That has to be it," said Ryan finally stopping his pacing. "She will be here soon. I am sure of that," said Ryan. "We have to start this soon. Or else there is a chance that we might be found out," said Zack. "Just give it a little more time," said Ryan.  
  
"Is there any improvement?" asked Van walking back into the room that Moonbay was occupying. "No she has been the same all this time," said Irvine from a chair next to the bed. "Where's the kid?" asked Irvine noticing Kristi wasn't with Van for the first time in a few days. "Crougar is looking after her for me. She was sleeping so peacefully that I didn't want to wake her up right now. Ashley also offered to help if it called for it," said Van. "I wish that we knew how this happened to Moonbay. It had to be a spy. So where could that spy be now?" asked Irvine putting his head in his hands. "Crougar thinks the person could still be somewhere in this base. That is why I have kept Kristi with me," said Van. "Plus Me, Thomas, and Ashley are all looking for the spy right now," said Van. Neither of them knew what happened but both noticed that Moonbay started to move slightly when he said this. "Moonbay are you awake?" asked Irvine. "Watch out for," said Moonbay but she couldn't finish. "She is still out of it," said Van noticing that she didn't do anything else. "Watch out for who Moonbay?" asked Irvine getting a bit closer. She was silent for a few seconds. She started to move around wildly. "You need to watch out for A." said Moonbay but she calmed down and was silent after that. "Who?" asked Van urgently but to no avail. She was out again. "Who was she warning us about and why did she suddenly say this when she is unconscious?" asked Irvine. "Oh no," said Van as he suddenly realized what was going on. "What?" asked Irvine since he knew that Van knew something. "She reacted to what I said. Then said to beware of A." said Van very seriously. He suddenly took a sprint towards the door. Irvine grabbed him though before he could leave. "What is going on?" asked Irvine a bit mad that Van wasn't telling him. "Beware of Ashley," said Van dangerously. "Huh?" asked Irvine slightly confused. "Moonbay reacted when we said her name. She was warning us to beware of Ashley," yelled Van struggling to get out of Irvine's grip. "Wait a minute. Isn't she with your daughter?" asked Irvine not letting go. "What do you think I have been trying to get to but you have been holding me back," yelled Van. Irvine then noticed he was still holding Vans arm and let go allowing Van to run out of the room. He followed right behind Van without a word as they ran down the halls.  
  
Crougar just sat in a chair and continued to watch monitors all over the base trying to see anything the least bit suspicious happening. Kristi was a few feet away laying back in a chair still sleeping very peacefully. Ashley was on his other side and was looking very bored. She also had a look like she was just waiting for something to happen. Suddenly the door flung open and Van and Irvine came running into the room breathing very heavily. "Why are you two so out of breathe?" asked Crougar looking at them with curiosity. They didn't answer him but turned to face Ashley. "Why did you do it?" asked Irvine dangerously. She just lifted one of her eyebrows in confusion. "Don't play dumb. Where's Fiona?" yelled Van at her. "What's going on?" asked Crougar seriously. "She's the spy. She hurt Moonbay and did something with Fiona," said Irvine. "Is this true?" asked Crougar as he turned to face Ashley but she wasn't the same now. She had the dangerous red eyes and a very fierce look on her face. "She found out my secret so I had to do something," Ashley said in a dangerous voice. "Why are you working for him?" asked Van dangerously. "He is my master. So I have to follow his every command," said Ashley. She then gave off a slight laugh. "Where's Fiona?" asked Van still in the dangerous voice. "Oh her. we took her a while ago. all that is left is the little brat," said Ashley. She started to walk towards Kristi but Crougar stepped in her way. "Stop this right now," he ordered. Her response to it was by knocking him out by hitting his neck hard. Van then tried to get his daughter but Ashley speeded up and got there first making Van stop in fear that she might do something to his daughter should he make a move. "Ah good. You know the drill," she said as she reached down to grab the girl. The door opened up again but this time it was Thomas who walked into the room. Ashley noticed him and for a spilt second Van could have swore he saw her eyes turn back to normal before the went back to red. Then it did it again. "What's going on?" asked Thomas. He looked down and saw the unconscious Crougar. Van stopped in his tracks and Ashley reaching for Kristi. It all seemed to click very easily for him.  
  
Zack was just sitting when he suddenly felt something strange. "This is not good," Zack said. "What isn't?" asked Ryan curious as to what he meant. "She is faltering. Something is getting to her actually self. I don't know how it is possible but it actually is happening," said Zack calmly. "How do you know this? Also, why are you acting so calm about it?" asked Ryan suspiciously. "I am calm because I know she will at least finish the job. I have my reasons for knowing why she is acting like this. It really isn't any big deal thought," said Zack. Ryan was not happy that Zack wasn't telling him something.  
  
The look on her face turned a bit from confidence to fear upon seeing Thomas walk into the room. Then she suddenly started to holler in pain as she clutched her head. She dropped to the floor and was hollering in pain. This happened to wake up Kristi. She looked around at everything to the screaming Ashley on the floor. Van saw her wake up and immediately said, "Get over here." She got up but the screaming stopped and Ashley got to her feet and grabbed the girl. "No," yelled Van rushing towards them but she ran right through a window to her Storm sworder which was waiting for her. Van was just too shocked to even move. "Van come on," said Irvine but Van knew it was too late. She was already gone and going at full speed it would take a miracle to catch up to her. 'This can't be happening,' thought Van sadly as he fell to his knees. he just couldn't take all of this. Something then snapped. He stood up quickly and calmly walked towards the door. Irvine noticed something strange in him. "Van?" asked Irvine. He stopped. "I am going to get them back. Don't follow me," said Van dangerously. This actually made Irvine a little nervous, but he regained his composure. "You don't know where their base is. You are going to need some help," said Irvine. "I don't need any help. I will just destroy everyone of their soldier until I get the answers I am looking for," said Van cruelly with a slight laugh. "Van stop this," said Irvine as he grabbed Van's arm. Van didn't take this too well though and he grabbed Irvine's arm and used it to throw Irvine against a wall. Irvine ended up hitting his head and he fell to the floor unconscious. Van just smiled and started to walk towards the door and towards the frightened Thomas. Van just walked right by him without Thomas giving him much resistance due to how frightened he was of the new Van. It wasn't only him either. Everyone that Van came across or those that tried to stop him ended up cowering away from the new Van. Van just calmly walked on unless someone tried to stop him. in that case he just knocked them out and continued to keep going. He reached the hanger and got into the blade liger. Without Zeke or anyone else he just moved the blade liger out. 


	38. insanity

The blade liger walked through the desert as Van sat in the pilots seat with a dangerous scowl across his face. He wasn't in the mood for any sorts of games at the moment. The only thing that seemed to be on his mind was blood. He wanted the blood of the people that took the two most important things in his life away from him. Out of nowhere many shots crashed down near the blade liger. Van didn't even flinch though when the blade liger was hit a few times. "We were told that you might be looking for us so we were sent to stop you," said the soldier in charge of the group that had fired upon Van. Van remained silent. "Well say something," yelled the lead soldier. "Do you have any final wishes?" asked Van in the same cruel voice that he had been using for the past while. "Final wishes? You have to be kidding. You are going to be the one that is going to need to say his final wishes," said the lead soldier. "ATTACK," he yelled causing the many zoids to charge at Van. A smile curled across his face. "So be it," said Van as he pushed the blade liger forward in speed that shouldn't have been possible without an organoid. Taking out his blades he charged at the enemy without any fear. He sliced through many not caring where he hit whether it was the cockpit or any other part of the zoid. It only took about a minute to finish off the many zoids. He noticed that one of the soldiers were trying to crawl away from their damaged zoid and Van immediately jumped out of the blade liger and walked towards him. "Where are they?" Van asked. "There is no way that I am going to betray them. Kill me if you would like it will make no difference," said the man. Van didn't kill him but kicked him very hard in his stomach sending him flying. The soldier hit the remains of one of the zoids that Van had destroyed. "I will ask again. Where are they?" asked Van in the same cruel voice. The soldier didn't answer but he did end up coughing up a bit of blood from the hard kick. Van knew that he wasn't going to get any answer out of him. He started to walk away but not before he kicked the soldier again.  
  
The genobreaker soared through the desert at its top speed. Raven had yet to find out where they had taken Reese but he was not going to give up on his search no matter what. "Wherever these guys are hiding it sure is a good place since I have yet to find them," said Raven a bit angrily. He came up to the top of a hill and froze at the sight that was before him. Destroyed zoids, soldiers thrown from their cockpit and all sorts of other things awaited him. "What the," said Raven in awe at the sight. "What the hell happened here?" Raven asked himself as he quickly got out of the cockpit and started to walk around the area. "What could have possibly have done this?" asked Raven as he examined the damage to one of the zoids. The sound of another zoid was heard from behind Raven and he turned around to the dibison heading in his direction. "Just what I need to be caught here. They will probably think that I did it considering my past," said Raven as he watched Thomas jump out of the cockpit of the dibison. "What happened here Raven?" asked Thomas dangerously. "Don't look at me. I haven't done anything like this in years. I just came across it while looking for Reese," said Raven in his own defense. Thomas was about to reply to that when they both suddenly heard a noise that sounded like a cough. Following the noise they were led to a injured soldier. Blood was all over him from his legs to his head, there was almost no part of him that wasn't covered in blood. "What happened?" asked Thomas knowing that he was one of the enemy. "He is crazy. We were only supposed to stop him yet he destroyed all of my troops in about a minute. I tried to escape but he caught me. He kept asking me where they were," said the soldier before he coughed up a bit of blood. "Van did this," muttered Thomas in disbelief. "What was that?" asked Raven. "It was Van that did this," said Thomas not wanting to believe that Van was capable of doing such a thing. "You have to be kidding me. Mr. Hero did all of this? I didn't know he had it in him," said Raven with a slight laugh. Thomas just rolled his eyes at Raven. "Van has gone crazy. That much is for certain now. I can't believe that he would do something like this though," said Thomas. "What happened to make this happen?" asked Raven. "They got Fiona and his daughter. I guess that he just couldn't take it," said Thomas. "He has already injured many at our base and is still doing this now to the enemy," said Thomas. Thomas moved to one of the sliced up zoids and felt it. He immediately pulled his hand away. "It is still hot. That must mean that this happened recently," said Thomas as he ran back to his zoid and started to move off. Raven just stood there and looked at all the damage.  
  
The blade liger just walked across the sands of the desert as Van hummed a tune to himself despite what he had just done. "It was like he didn't care that he had destroyed all those zoids and that he was actually happy about doing all of this. "Hold it," yelled a voice. Van looked around and saw many zoids. They weren't from the enemy but from the guardian force. "Go away," warned Van. "We have been ordered to bring you in Van Flyheight," said the soldier. "Unless you want to end up like those zoids back there I suggest that you leave," said Van in a dangerously low tone. "We have been given our orders and we will use force if we have to," said the soldier. "Go ahead. It will make no difference," said Van with an insane laugh. "Then you leave us no choice," said the soldier as the zoids started to charge at the blade liger Van just smirked.  
  
Moonbays eyes finally began to open but it wasn't as she had expected. She expected her friends to be there happy that she was alright. That wasn't the case though. None of her friends were there. The place was very busy though. a great deal of soldier were all over the place getting wounds tended to. "What going on?" was the first thing that she was able to ask. "So you finally woke up," came a voice from near her. She turned to see Irvine in a bed nearby with a bandage wrapped around his head. "What's going on Irvine. has a battle just occurred while I was out?" asked Moonbay. "No. Van is what happened while you were out," said Irvine looked down to the floor. "Van did all of this?" asked Moonbay in disbelief. "Yeah. Ashley turned out to be the spy. She took Kristi right in front of us and we were unable to do anything about it. Van didn't take it too well and he just snapped and started to hurt people," said Irvine sadly. Almost as soon as he had finished the doors to the place opened and more people were rushed in on stretchers. "The numbers just keep piling up as they keep sending soldiers out in hopes of stopping him. They all just end up coming back like that though," said Irvine indicating the soldiers that were just brought in. "He is starting to act like Raven used to," muttered Moonbay upset that her friend could possibly do something like this. "I know that. I didn't know that van would end up reacting like this though. it is just too much for me to take," said Moonbay. "We are trying everything to knock some sense into Van but he just doesn't seem to want our help at all. All he seems to want to do right now is destroy everything that gets in his way in his search," said Irvine. "We have got to do something to help him," said Moonbay.  
  
"Why is no one telling me any useful information?' asked Van in a deranged voice. He has destroyed anyone that has tried to stop him but it has not helped him in his cause though. He stopped thought when he came across something that brought a smile to his face. It was the genobreaker. "Hold it Van. I am not going to let you do this anymore," said Raven calmly. "Funny that it is you that is telling me this now," said a crazy Van. "I realized my past mistakes but you need to get a grip of yourself," said Raven still in the calm voice. "What if I don't?" asked Van with a sinister laugh. "Then I will have to make you," said Raven as he powered up the genobreaker. 


	39. Van's fight

"Sir. I have some news that you must hear," said a soldier as he ran into the room. "What is it?" asked Crougar seeing the urgency on his face. "We have received reports form a town about fifty miles away. Apparently there are two zoids nearby ready to fight," said the soldier. "We are trying to stop Van right now. So what does this have to do with anything?" asked Crougar turning back to the screen in front of him. "Well um. it's the blade liger and the genobreaker. Moonbay walked into the room drinking something but when she heard what was said, she ended up spitting it all out. "You have to be kidding," yelled Moonbay afraid at was about to happen. "No. The two zoids are going to be fighting," said the soldier. Moonbay looked nervously at Irvine. all he did was nod. "Every time the two of them fight, there is always way too much destruction. Mainly to each other," said Moonbay with a sigh.  
  
The blade liger and the genobreaker stood there facing each other. The blade liger shot forward at full speed at the genobreaker. "Why are you doing this Van?" yelled Raven as he swiftly moved the genobreaker out of the way of the blade liger's attack. "Shut up, and fight," yelled Van as he turned the blade liger around so quickly that Raven couldn't keep up and the blade liger hit it hard. Raven figured that it would be best to end this as quickly as possible. "SHADOW," yelled Raven as his organoid came out of the sky and fused with the genobreaker. Van gave off an insane chuckle. "You need your organoid this early? You really are pathetic," said Van in a cold voice. "What do you mean? You have to be using yours right now," said Raven as he charged right at Van. "Nope," was all Van said before dodging the attack and ram the blade liger into the genobreaker's side. 'There is no way that he cannot be using his organoid. I know for a fact that he doesn't have this type of skill without one, but if he is telling the truth then where is this strength coming from?' thought Raven as he barely dodged another attack by the blade liger. "Get a grip Van. How do expect to get the zoidian back in the state that you are in?" asked Raven after taken another hit right after he had dodged. "By destroying everything that gets in my way until I find them," said Van in his deranged voice. "I lost Reese as well but you don't see me acting like this," said Raven, "So why is it any different for you?" asked Raven starting to get a bit angry at Van. "You know nothing," said Van with a growl as he charged at the genobreaker once more. 'I guess I have no choice,' thought Raven as the genobreaker started to absorb energy. Van immediately stopped in his tracks and pulled out his blades. The charged particle beam cut through the air and nailed the blade liger dead on. Raven knew that it wouldn't kill Van because of the blades but he hoped that t would do a little bit of damage. No such luck because the blade liger just ran through it and sliced of one of the arms. It would have been worse if Raven hadn't moved at the last second. 'There has to be a way to get through to him,' thought Raven but at that moment he couldn't think of any.  
  
The town was very peaceful. People were going on with their everyday routines. That was until there was a loud noise that people were able to hear very quickly coming towards the town. Seconds later the blade liger and the genobreaker came into view and ran right through the city. Which surprisingly didn't do too much damage. "Stop it Van," yelled Raven as the people all ran as far away from the two zoids as they could. Van charged at the genobreaker but this time Raven managed to get a hit in. he lifted up the blade liger and threw it as far as he could. Luckily it landed outside the town but Van was able to get up quickly. "This has to stop," yelled Raven as he charged up another charged particle beam. This time Van wasn't able to get his blades up and was hit on the side hard. The blade liger shook violently but it managed to get enough time to pull out its blades. Before Raven knew it the blade liger was to the side of the genobreaker with one of its blades going into it but luckily he missed the cockpit. Raven was shook around and his head fell forward hard and hit the controls. Both of the zoids then fell onto their sides. The cockpit to the genobreaker opened up and Raven fell out of it into the desert sands. He was hurt badly and had a little trouble standing up. Van crawled out of the blade liger and walked slowly towards the hurt Raven.  
  
There was a knock on the door to the room where Zack was in. He was looking at three tubes. Each one had an occupant in it. On the far left was Reese, then Kristi in the middle, and then Fiona on the far right. "Come in," said Zack with a smirk on his face. The doors opened and Ryan walked into the room with a serious look on his face. "It will all start tomorrow. Everything is almost set and we are about to get started," said Zack as he turned to look at Ryan. He then noticed the look on Ryan's face. "What with you? Shouldn't you be happy that we finally have the three zoidians that we needed after all of this time?" asked Zack with a happy look on his face. "We have a problem sir. The zoids that you sent out to stop Flyheight haven't contacted in for a while. When we sent someone out to see what was going on. He came back and told us that many of the zoids were completely torn apart," said Ryan seriously. "You think that Flyheight did this, don't you? Well he couldn't have. He is far to kind hearted to do something like that," said Zack. "No. Flyheight did do it. A survivor that we found told us this. Apparently Flyheight had gone insane," said Ryan with a slight smirk. Zack turned around and looked at Fiona and Kristi. "does he really care for these two that much that he would do something like that?" asked Zack in a confused face. "I guess so," said Ryan, "I also heard that there was a fight going on between him and Raven," said Ryan think that it was too good to be true. "Good. Then hopefully they will kill each other and we won't have to worry about them," said Zack with a laugh.  
  
Raven struggled to get off the ground since he knew Van was coming towards him. he suddenly felt himself being pulled off the ground by the collar of his shirt. He opened his eyes to see Van. "This isn't going to help you find them you know," said Raven weakly. "Sure it will, and when I do find them then I am going to do the same to them," said Van in a cold voice. "I know how you feel. I lost someone too. Doing what you are doing isn't helping though. it is only making it more difficult," said Raven weakly. "You don't know how I feel," yelled Van but not in as rough of a voice. Raven for some reason could tell that Van was starting to falter a little when he said that. "What would Fiona say if she saw you like this? What would your daughter think to see you like you are?" asked Raven. Van's face suddenly became more of a scared look. Raven suddenly understood. "They have both of them, don't they?" asked Raven. Van couldn't take it anymore. He let go of Raven and stepped back a few steps. "They took her from right in front of me. I couldn't even do anything to stop them," said Van in a shaky voice. 'So that is where all of this anger is coming from,' thought Raven as he got off of the ground. That was when Van collapsed to his knees. "I couldn't protect either of them. I failed to protect the woman that I love and my own daughter," said Van as tears started to fall from his eyes. Raven saw this and got annoyed. The next thing that Van knew Raven punched him across the face. "Going insane and crying is not going to help find them," said Raven. Van held his face where he was punched. "If you want to find them, then follow me. I think I may know where they are," said Raven as he walked off. Very slowly Van got off of his hands and knees and walked after Raven. 


	40. confusion

"What the heck," said Crougar going over pictures of the place that was once a battleground. "What is it?" asked Moonbay from behind him. "Take a look at these pictures that have been taken. A few moments ago this was a battlefield. There were witnesses that saw the two fighting. All that is left now is the abandoned zoids yet there is no pilots in either one of them," said Crougar going through picture after picture. "What do you suppose happened?" asked Irvine curiously. "I really have no idea," said Crougar putting his head in his hands.  
  
"Hey Raven. What did you mean by you think you know where they are hiding?" asked Van as he followed closely behind Raven. "The person that is leading them is a capable leader but is a real moron for what he did recently," said Raven calmly. "What did he do?" asked Van knowing it had to do with the captures. "I'll show you in just a second," said Raven as they came upon a small camp. He walked over to some baggage and pulled something out of it. Upon looking at it closely Van noticed that it was a map. Getting upon the ground Raven opened the map up to it full length. "So what did he do?" asked Van looking at the map. "You know all of those troops that were sent out to stop you?" asked Raven looking at Van. "Yeah," said Van slightly remembering seeing them. "It is all in the formation of them," said Raven looking at the map. "This is the location of the one's that you destroyed earlier," said Raven placing red X's on the map in multiple area's. "I destroyed that many?" asked Van slightly shocked by what he did. "Yes, now shut up. That is nothing compared to some of the things that I did in the past if you can remember that far back," said Raven looking at Van like he was clueless. "I have also been running into them in my search for Reese," said Raven making even more X's on the map. "Do you see what is going on here?" asked Raven looking at Van. Studying the map over for a few seconds, it then hit Van what was going on. "He put them in a perimeter around his base," said Van looking at the circle that all of the X's were making. "He is moron for doing that. He could have spread them out more so it wasn't more obvious. It was especially stupid for doing this when he knew that we would definitely be angry and come after him. Yet he put them in a perimeter leading us right to them," said Raven calmly. "How can you be sure that that is the place?" asked Van thinking it was too obvious. "I was able to go there and that area is completely packed. Even I probably wouldn't have been able to get in there. Then I heard what was happening with you and headed back," said Raven looking at Van. "So this is it. This is where they have been hiding all of these years. It is time that we finally brought the fight to them," said Van a little happier.  
  
A beeping sound caught Moonbay's ears. She looked over to see one of the computers beeping. Curiosity got the better of her and she pushed the button. Everyone looked up as a screen popped up in front of everyone. Everyone also gasped when they saw who was on it. "Van," said Moonbay happy to see that her friend was all right. "Hey there," said Van with a grin on his face. "Van Flyheight. You have a lot of explaining to do about all of the zoids that you destroyed," said an angry Crougar. "Uh, yeah. Sorry about that. I wasn't myself at the time. I am back to normal now, and it only took a tough zoid fight, a hard punch to the face, and a reality check to make me realize my mistake," said Van sadly. "Listen. I am not calling to get a response to my apology. I have something for you to use. I think that it would definitely be of great use," said Van before the screen shut off and another popped up. "What is this?" asked Moonbay looking at the blank map. "I don't know," said Irvine looking at it as well. "This better not be his idea of a joke," muttered Moonbay. Suddenly all of the V's started to appear on the map until they formed a complete circle and then in the middle was a child like picture of Zack. Moonbay blinked a couple of seconds before she broke out laughing because of the picture. "That is it. That is where the place is located. Raven must have found it and showed it to Van once he knocked some sense into him," said Irvine amazed. "Wait a minute. Wouldn't it usually be the other way of Van trying to stop Raven?" asked Moonbay slightly confused. "Who cares? Now we have it and we can use it to put an end to this meaningless war," said Crougar with a smile on his face.  
  
"This will be a very short trip though unless we can get our zoids functional again," said Raven sadly. "If I had Zeke then he could help out," said Van upset for leaving Zeke behind. A whistling sound caught his ears and he looked up to see Raven pointing towards something. Van turned his head and came face to face with Zeke. "Zeke," said Van happily. "While looking for you he showed up and started to follow me. Must have thought that I would lead him to you," said Raven in his normal tone of voice. "Sorry for leaving you Zeke," said Van petting Zeke on the nose. Zeke growled happily in response. "We had better get to work on the zoid so we can get there before it is too late," said Raven heading out towards the zoids with shadow following right behind him. "Come on Zeke. The sooner we get it done, the sooner we will be able to go and rescue Fiona and Kristi," said Van with a smile. Zeke growled happily in response.  
  
"How are things going with them?" Zack asked a scientist as he watched the three zoidians in their tubes. "All of their life signs appear to be stable. Everything is ready to go as soon as you say so," said the scientist. "How long will it take to complete the task?" asked Zack looking at the scientist. "Hard to say but I think at most it will take a day," said the scientist in a monotonous tone. 'Only one more day left and then my dreams will have been fulfilled. You have failed Flyheight and you will pay for it with the lives of the ones you hold the most dear to yourself,' thought Zack with an evil grin across his face.  
  
"God a lot of these wires sure are messed up. It will take a while to get most of the sorted out, but I have to get this done as soon as possible," said Van in a determined voice. "Alright. Lets try this," said Van as he put two broken wires together. He was earned with a slight zap. "Ok, never mind," said Van a bit annoyed. After a few more tried the wires were in place. "Ok do it Zeke," yelled Van. Zeke took into the air and landed in the blade liger. Many of the broken systems were repairing themselves. 'Too bad Zeke can't get everything,' thought Van as he went back to look for more problems. Zeke came out of the blade liger and landed right next to Van. Van noticed that Zeke had something in his mouth. "What do you have there Zeke," asked Van holing out a hand. Zeke dropped the thing into Van's hand and it caused Van's eyes to widen. What was there was a little black box. Zeke growled happily and Van absentmindedly pet him while only looking at the box. He carefully opened it and found the ring that he had bought for Fiona. His features saddened and Zeke happened to notice this. Yet he did nothing thinking Van wanted to be alone so he walked off. Van was kind of happy that Zeke gave him a bit of space. "Planned on proposing to her?" Came Raven's voice from behind him. "I thought about it but she made it clear that she had no feelings for me," said Van sadly. "You are a complete moron," said Raven before turning around and walking off. "What do you mean by that?" asked an enraged Van. "Anyone can see the truth behind that girl. If you can't then I rest my case about you being a moron," said Raven leaving the steaming Van alone.  
  
That night Van just laid there in the blade liger trying to get some rest so he would be at full strength when they made their attack tomorrow. "What did Raven mean by that? Could Fiona have been lying when she said what she said?" van asked himself as he stared up into the sky through the canopy of the blade liger. "She sounded sincere enough, but could she have been lying?" he asked that question again. He pulled out the case with the ring. Determination then came over his face. "If I see her again I will find out what she truly thinks of me. That is the only way that I can see if what everyone thinks is the truth or not," said Van with determination. There was a sudden knocking on the canopy. Looking up he saw Raven standing over it. "If you can't sleep then we might as well get and early start," said Raven before hoping down and getting into his zoid. "Good," was all that Van said before gripping the controls and getting the blade liger moving. 


	41. on the attack

"Is it me or is this place just a little too quiet?" asked Van once they had reached their destination. "Keep your guard up or they will get us by surprise,' said Raven looking around the place expecting zoids to pop up everywhere at any moment. As he said that a small gate opened and two zoids appeared at the top. Raven immediately recognized one of the two. "YOU!" yelled Raven as he saw that heavily modified iron kong. "Good. You recognize me again. That will make this a lot easier for us," said Ryan with a smirk on his face. "I have been waiting for this moment for the past five years," said Raven cracking his knuckles. He was still upset about what happened the last time that they fought. A screen then popped up in both the blade liger and the genobreaker. "Greetings Van, and Raven. I knew that it would only be a matter of time before you came here," said Zack with a smile on his face. "You bastard. Give back my daughter and Fiona!" yelled Van at the link. "I think not. They are very important to my plans and I can't have people like you two ruining that for me," said Zack with the grin still on his face. "What is it that you want them for?" asked Raven in a voice that sounded a bit too calm for the situation. "It is too late to stop it so I figure I will tell you," said Zack with a smile. "You see, Zoidians are naturally in tune with zoids far greater than any human can possibly hope to be. However, even with zoidians there are a few that have abilities with zoids far greater than the average zoidian. I figured that if we could somehow harness those powers that we can increase our strength so greatly that it would make us invincible," said Zack with a smirk on his face. "This is all because of their powers?" yelled Van. "Well not their powers anymore because my machine that is doing the job is draining their powers from them. Soon they will be all gone and you're loved ones will be dead," said Zack with an evil laugh. "You bastard!" yelled Van and Raven in unison. "You two will be the first ones to have a taste of this power as my two best warriors will show you," said Zack with a grin before the screen shut off.  
  
Van and Raven stood facing the other two zoids in a face-off. "Van I will take the iron kong. I have an old score to settle with him and you had better not get in my way," said Raven in a dangerous voice. "Fine with me. just hurry up so we can rescue everyone," said Van as he turned his attention on the other zoid. It was a blade liger that was just like Van's except that it was a pitch-black. "I guess that that just leaves the two of us," said Van with a grin. In less than an instant the black blade liger disappeared. "What the! How can it move so fast?" Van asked himself. The other blade liger then appeared right off to the side of Van where it slammed into Van taking Van's blade liger down. "Man. He wasn't kidding when he said that it would increase the powers of zoids," said Van with a grin despite the situation. "Zeke!" yelled Van and Zeke immediately fused with the blade liger. "Time to show you what true power is," said Van with a smirk as the two collided with each other. Neither of them was giving ground but very slowly the other blade liger pushed Van's blade liger back. "What the!" said Van in surprise as the blade liger fell down. Van then opened a com link with Raven. "Hey Raven. How are you fairing with that other guy. "Now is not the time," said Raven in a bit of an angry voice because he was having even more trouble then the last time that he faced Ryan. "Listen. We can't waste time with these guys. I have a plan but I need you're help to pull it off," said Van with a smirk. "I'm listening," said Raven looking at the grounded blade liger.  
  
The blade liger got off the ground with a little difficulty and without waiting charged at the black blade liger. "You better know what you are doing Van," said Raven quietly knowing that what Van was planning was close to suicide. "You fool!" yelled Ryan to the other zoid. 'Uh oh. Does he know?' Rave asked himself. "Quit fooling around with that organoid controlled zoid and kill flyheight before he can get inside," yelled Ryan seeing Van running across the sands to where the entrance was. "Damn it," the other pilot said but before he could do anything Raven rammed into the said of the zoid. The pilot was taken by surprise so he couldn't react. "Time to put an end to this," said Raven with a smirk as he took in energy. The black blade liger couldn't react in time as the charged particle beam was fired at point blank range.  
  
"Damn that fool for letting his guard down like that. I guess this new power isn't all that I had heard about," muttered Ryan angrily. "Of course it is. I still need about twenty minutes and it will all be over for them. Everything will be complete and then you will see the true power that I have been talking about. Right now you have less then half of the power," said Zack over a COM link. "So just hold then off for twenty minutes, right," said Ryan then he remembered what Van was doing. "Oh shit," yelled Ryan as he charged towards van. When he saw him Van had the control panel to the gate out and was typing in the code. "Oh no you don't yelled Raven jumping in the way to block the attack. "Get out of my way Raven," growled Ryan as he pounded the genobreaker with the fists of the iron kong. Raven wasn't relenting though. He was looking out for Reese now and that seemed to give him a great deal of extra power to fight with. "Let's finish that battle from all of that time ago," said Raven with a smirk just thinking about the battle. Ryan finally threw Raven off but it was too late, Van had opened up the gate and ran in before Ryan could do anything. "Damn it," yelled Ryan hitting the controls in frustration. "This is all your fault. I will make you pay for it," yelled Ryan charging at Raven. 'It should take him a while to find the right room. So I shouldn't worry too much and even if he does Zack will be there waiting for him,' thought Ryan, 'But for right now I have to get Raven for getting in my way,' thought Ryan as the iron kong ran into the genobreaker. Suddenly missiles came down towards the two of them.  
  
"God. This place is like a maze. Alright, I need to calm down or I will never be able to find the place," said Van running through the halls going through as many doors as he could in order to find what he was looking for. 'I don't have much time. They will all die unless I hurry up,' thought Van panting hard. It was odd for him though because the halls were surprisingly empty. "I wonder what is going on," said Van continuing to run.  
  
Just as the missiles were about to come in contact with the two zoids both of them jumped out of the way. Both looked towards the source of the shots and they saw one of the biggest military forces heading directly towards them. "What the hell," said a shocked Ryan knowing exactly what it was. "I hope you don't mind but we tipped off a few people about the location of this place. I know that they were just dying to be able to join in on this fun," said Raven with a smirk. "Oh by the way. Why the hell are you firing at me!" yelled Raven through the com link towards the many zoids. "Think of it as payback for running my command wolf all of those years ago," said Irvine with a smirk on his face. "Whatever," muttered Raven attacking Ryan yet again.  
  
Ahead of all of the zoids were the lightning saix and the dibison charging towards the battlefield. "You ready Irvine?" asked Thomas seeing many gates opening and hundreds of zoids charging out of them. "Oh yeah. I have been waiting for this for years," said an eager Irvine in anticipation. "Then lets go. MEGALOMAX FIRE," yelled Thomas firing off the dibison's artillery taking down numerous zoids in just that one attack. Irvine charged forward at full speed right in-between a few zoids and knocking them to the ground. All the rest of the army was quick to catch up and get their fair share of the enemy as they could. Irvine then spotted Raven and the iron kong going head to head with each other. Both seemed to be evenly matched at that moment. "That guy has to be good in order to be able to go up against Raven like that," said Irvine once he saw the iron kong pick up the genobreaker and throw it a large distance away. The genobreaker only got back up and plowed right into the iron kong.  
  
On a monitor somewhere in the base a lone figure sat watching what was going on outside the base at that moment. A wicked smile was on the persons face, but when a picture of a dibison hitting several zoids with its megalomax caught the person blood red eyes. They seemed to change into a deep shade of blue and tears started to fall from the person's eyes. "This needs to stop," said the person while the tears fell. "I want to get out of here but I can't as long as he has control over me. I have to do something before it is too late," said the person then another picture on another screen caught the person's eyes and hope flickered through them . It was a picture of Van running through the halls of the base. "Van can do it I know he can, and I will make sure that he gets to the right place," said the person as she stood up and ran out of the room. "He gives me way too much freedom as long as he controls me but I have learned to fight back. He stripped me of self-control and made me do things that I didn't want to do. I wish I could have learned it sooner or even knew about it to avoid doing what I did. Now it is time to pay him back for that," she said with a determined look on her face. "I have hurt Van enough. It is now time to help him the way I should have," said the young woman running through the halls.  
  
Van ran through the halls but suddenly a figure stepped in his path. An angry look spread across his face as he reached for his father's dagger. "Don't Van. I am not here to hurt you," said Ashley in a sad tone. "How can I trust you after what you did?" asked van in an angry voice. "I have no excuse for what I did. If I could have though I would have tried to stop it. For now though I will lead you where you need to go," said Ashley in a sad tone. She then started to run off with Van following a short distance behind. "I have been alone since I was small," confessed Ashley, "Zack picked me off the streets and forced me to work for him. he brainwashed me many times in order for me to be able to get into places and do jobs for him. I never wanted any of it though. He made sure that I followed his orders by finding a way to control my mind. That was what happened when I helped take your daughter and Fiona away from you. It hurts though to fight back. I have tried but I have never succeeded," said Ashley in a sad tone as they ran. "Then how is now different?" asked Van sadly. "I keep recalling sad memories I have had. It seems to stir my emotions and allows me to be able to break free but it is never permanent. Also whenever I see Thomas it seems to help me as well," said Ashley. "Looks like you have taken a deep liking for him," said Van with a weak smile now feeling a little more comfortable around her. "Yeah. He may not like me as much as he likes Fiona but I still like him," said Amy. "I am sure that Thomas doesn't see it like that. He may seem clueless at times but he knows better then that. I am sure that he likes you just fine," said van with a smile. Ashley then stopped. "This is it," said Amy pointing towards a door. Van carefully walked towards it. He opened it and walked inside. The place was dark. He felt around for a light switch and when he found one he turned it on. The place lit up. One area caught his eyes. There in a far corner laid many pods and in there they were. His friends and loved ones. There she was right in front of Van. There was Fiona floating in the far right tube. "Fiona," muttered Van as he watched and listened to the sounds that the machines were making. She was right there. after so much suffering to find her she was finally there right there in front of him. 


	42. the nightmare

'What's going on? Raven isn't supposed to have this much strength. Especially since the power that is coursing through my zoid at this very moment makes my zoid the most powerful that is supposed to be around. What is it that is allowing him to use such a power?' Ryan thought to himself as he charged at Raven only to have his zoid repelled by the power of the genobreaker. 'When I first fought him, he went down without so much as a fight. Now he is capable of standing against me on equal footing with me? How is it possible? Also for some reason it can't read what his next move will be. There is something very wrong with all of this,' Ryan told himself as he hit Raven to the ground only to have Raven get up again as if nothing had even happened to him. "What's the matter? You don't seem to be doing as well as last time. Is it that you lost all nerve as soon as you have seen how powerful I have become?" asked Raven with a smirk on his face. "Shut up!" yelled Ryan as he charged his zoid at Raven. The foot for the genobreaker locked in place and the genobreaker started to take in energy. Ryan pulled back his attack the moment that he saw this. 'This I can use to my advantage,' thought Ryan with a smirk on his face just remembering what he did to Raven the last time that the charged particle beam was used on him. The genobreaker fired the beam sending up dust everywhere as it flew through the air towards Ryan. The beam made direct contact. However it didn't work as Ryan went charging through the dust with his shield up ready to pound Raven. When he got to Raven's position he noticed that Raven was nowhere to be found. "Where'd he go?" yelled Ryan looking around for any sign of Raven. "Do you think I would fall for the same trick twice?" came Raven's voice. "Where are you?" yelled Ryan at the top on his lungs. "Up here," said Raven as he fell through the air right on top of the iron kong. The iron kong fell to the ground and the genobreaker took the cockpit into his teeth. "Damn it," yelled Ryan as he opened up the cockpit as far as he could and jumped out of it. Just in time too because the next second the cockpit exploded under the pressure that the genobreaker was putting on it. Ryan looked at the remains of his zoid before running towards the entrance to the base.  
  
"Fiona," whispered Van seeing her in the tube. "Reese," he said next as he saw Reese. "Kristi," he whispered seeing his daughter. "They are all here. I finally found them," said Van in a happy voice. "Too bad it will do you no good," said Zack from behind him. Van turned around to see Ashley unconscious on the floor with Zack standing over her. "You," growled Van with his eyes full of hatred. "Yes me. You and the traitor did good to get this far. However it will be for nothing as soon as I will finish you off here and now," growled Zack with a look of pure hatred in his eyes as well. "Get up," growled Zack to Ashley. She got off the ground with his eyes burning their blood red color. "Snap out of it," yelled Van trying to get her to return to her normal self. "That will do you no good. I don't know how you managed to get her back to her normal self but right now she is under my complete control and no matter how hard you try there is no possible way for you to reach her," said Zack with an evil laugh. Van just put on a stern face as he walked towards some controls. "What are you doing?" asked Zack in a dangerous voice. "Putting a stop to this even if I lose my life in the process," said Van taking out his father's dagger and plunging it deep into the controls. The machine started to spark and then all the power in the room went out. A moment later some backup power went back on. "How dare you do that," growled Zack with pure malice in his voice. "Wait till you see what I am going to do next," said Van taking the largest thing that he could find. He picked it up and rushed over to the pods and pounded all of them with the object. The three pods that held Fiona, Reese and Kristi started to crack and then they shattered and all three of them fell to the floor. "Probably dead by now. So it doesn't matter. My plan most likely has already been completed," said Zack with a laugh.  
  
"This is just getting boring," said Irvine as he destroyed another zoid. Despite a number of battles going on between numerous other zoids, there were no more zoids around for him to take out and it was the same for Thomas. "Irvine come on we have to get in there," said Thomas in a hurry as he jumped out of his zoid and Irvine did the same. They went up to the area that they had seen Ryan run into only a few minutes earlier. "Hurry it up," said Irvine impatiently. "How did they get that control panel up?" asked Thomas looking for anything that could help them. "I thought that you were good with electronics," said an impatient Irvine. "I am. You just need to give me about a minute to find out how this one works. Even the best need a little bit of time to get things done," muttered Thomas as he tried to fins what he needed. A few seconds later, a control panel popped out of the ground. It only took them a second of looking at it before they both said in unison, "Crap!"  
  
A sudden groan brought both Van and Zack to look at the source of the noise. It came from Fiona. Van rushed to her side in an instant. "Fiona, Fiona," said Van shaking her slightly. Fiona's eyes slowly opened and she stared into Van's face. "Van, you came for us," said Fiona in a very weak voice. "Of course I did. I couldn't just leave you here," said Van slightly happy that she was alive. "Why?" asked Fiona but he couldn't answer her before she fell back into a state of unconsciousness. Van set her down carefully. He then walked over to Reese and Kristi. He quickly looked for a pulse and was glad that he found one in both of them. "Good. They are all alive," said Van quietly. The door to the room suddenly opened and Ryan came running into the room. "You're late," growled Zack knowing that the plan that they had worked for years to achieve had failed with the destruction of the machines. "Sorry sir. You idea was a failure though. My zoid has been destroyed by Raven and so has the other zoid," said Ryan a bit angry that all that they worked for was all for nothing. "It is not that the plan failed, it is that you failed," said Zack annoyed that he didn't even manage to destroy Raven. Ryan seemed to cower back a little in fear at how dangerously Zack was talking. "However, I will give you another chance if you manage to take care of Flyheight," said Zack pointing towards Van. "With pleasure sir," said Ryan with a smirk on his face. He immediately charged towards Van and before Van could even react he felt a pain in his stomach as Ryan punched him very hard. Van was sent to the other side of the room where he laid motionless.  
  
"Hurry it up," said Irvine as Thomas punched in many different codes hoping to find the right one. "Hold your horses. It is not like if I say open sesame, that it will just open," said Thomas as he finished typing in another password. As if it heard it the gate suddenly opened up. "I guess we should have said that in the first place," said Irvine with a smirk as they headed into the dark depth of the base in search of their friends.  
  
Fiona's eyes slowly started to open. She let off a groan as she slowly tried to get to her feet but she failed and fell back down. This caught Zack's attention since he turned her way right after that. "So you are awake," said Zack in a monotonous tone. Fiona ignored him and looked around. There laying in a corner was Van. He wasn't moving but Fiona could see that he was alive by his shallow breathing which she was somehow able to hear. Zack and Ashley walked over to the unconscious Reese and Kristi and picked them up. Ryan turned towards her as well. He raised up a finger signaling for her to come to him. "If you come with us now I won't have to put you in the same condition as your boyfriend, and maybe I won't have to kill you friend and daughter," said Ryan in a dangerous voice. Fiona started to freak out as she realized what was happening at that moment. 'No. This has to be a dream again. It just has to,' thought Fiona as she shook her head an took a few steps. "Come with us now," yelled Ryan as he charged towards Fiona. He pulled out his sword and prepared to strike her down. 'Van is down so he can't die,' thought Fiona happily as she waited for the blow to come but it never came. 'Please don't say that when I open my eyes Van will be there,' thought Fiona as worry spread all around her face. She opened her eyes and there was Van. However it wasn't like in her dream. The sword had missed Van. It was off to the side a little bit but Fiona could see a little blood meaning that he was hit. 'It didn't happen,' thought Fiona happily as she saw Van with his father's dagger out and plunged into the stomach of Ryan. Van pulled back the dagger and watched as Ryan stumbled back a few feet before falling to the ground. Van then clutched his side and fell to on knee. He turned to look at her with a weak smile on his face. 'This can't happen,' thought Ryan as he held his stomach. 'I can't lose,' he thought as he grabbed his sword, which was nearby. He got to his feet quickly and charged towards Fiona again. Fiona was caught in shock and expected to feel the blow but when she looked up again Van was there again. This time though her worst fears were realized. He was standing there blocking Ryan's path with the sword sticking right through his stomach. 


	43. what the heart holds

Fiona was in pure shock as Ryan pulled the sword out of Van's stomach. Van fell limply to the ground as Ryan fell back a few feet clutching his wound. Fiona immediately got to her feet and rushed to Van's side. He was breathing very weakly. Blood flowed out of the wound at a great pace. "Van, Van," said Fiona in a panic hoping that he was going to live. In her dreams he never did and that was what frightened her the most. A tear escaped her eyes and fell down her cheek where it landed on Van. He weakly opened his eyes and saw the teary eyed Fiona. "You're crying for me?" said Van in a confused. "Of course I am," said Fiona in a very shaky voice. "This is it isn't it?" asked Van in a weak voice that was barely audible. "What?" asked Fiona wishing beyond hope that he would be all right. "This is what you have been afraid of for so long. The reason why you left me," said Van in a weak voice. Fiona couldn't seem to speak at that moment so she merely nodded her head in response. "It is good to finally know what you are so scared of," said Van with a gasp as he clutched his stomach. "Please Van, don't speak," said Fiona with urgency in her voice. "No Fiona. There is something important that need to say," said Van in a weak voice. "No Van, you need to save your strength," said Fiona as tears poured out of her eyes. "No. I have to say this now or I might not get another chance," said Van staring at Fiona. "Don't talk like that. You are going to be fine," said Fiona with the tears coming out even faster. "Why are you crying? I thought you hated me," said Van in a weak voice. Fiona didn't know how to respond. "Listen. I don't care how you feel about me. If I don't say this now I will haunt me even in death. Fiona, when you said all those things to me before. It was like something was being driven through my heart. It hurt because I loved you with all my heart and you kept hurting it more and more. I don't care what you think about this but I had to tell you that I love you," said Van in a weak voice before grimacing and clutching his stomach again. Fiona was in pure shock. Out of all the things she expected him to say, neither of them was what actually came out of his mouth. A fresh wave of tears came to Fiona's eyes. She closed her eyes and turned her head towards the ground. In a voice that no one could hear she whispered to things, "I lied." "What?" asked Van looking at her with confusion. "I lied Van. The truth is that I love you too. I was so scared though for both yours and Kristi safety that I did things that I knew would hurt you, but I knew that it would keep you safe," said Fiona looking at the ground. "Fiona," whispered Van as he watched Fiona cry.  
  
"Damn it," growled Ryan as he clutched his stomach. It hurt so much that he was unable to move at all. He saw a conversation going on between Van and Fiona. He also saw Zack just watching it as if he didn't exist. Zack then turned his gaze down upon Ryan and walked up to him. "You are a failure," growled Zack with a hardened gaze. "But sir. I did exactly what you wanted me to," said a scared Ryan. "Yet look at you. Look what you let Flyheight do to you. You are so weak. I don't know why I even kept you around," said Zack with a death gaze. "B-b-b-but sir," stuttered Ryan in a very fearful way. "No more excuses," growled Zack as he approached Ryan.  
  
"D-do you mean that Fiona?" asked Van as he felt his heart flutter in his chest. He stared at her waiting for a reply. "Yes. I do. I love you more then anything else in the world. It just scares me about the thought of something happening to you. You and Kristi are the most important things to me. I just couldn't sit by and watch the two of you getting hurt because of me," said Fiona in tears. Van reached up and carefully wiped away the tears that fell down her face. "I am glad that I finally know," said Van with a weak smile. Van pulled Fiona down a little and placed a light kiss on her lips. "I need to ask you something Fiona," said Van in his weak voice. "What is that Van?" asked Fiona with a loving gaze. Van reached into one of his pockets and pulled out something. Upon inspecting it closer, Fiona saw that it was a small velvet. "I wanted to ask you that day you said all of those things. I never got to with all that you said. Now is a good time to ask it though. Fiona, I love you with all my heart and I would do anything to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" asked Van opening the box to reveal a ring. Fiona was in shock. I kind of hurt her to know that he planned on asking her that before but it hurt a little more that he was asking in the shape that he was in. She was happy though that he asked. "Yes. Yes Van I will," said Fiona with a smile on her face. "You have no idea how happy this makes me," said Van, but once he said that he started in a fit of coughing. It stooped quickly and Van pulled the ring out of the box and placed it on his finger. "You have to survive though. You have to," said Fiona in a quiet voice. Van gave a weak smile. "I am not sure if I can. It hurts so much," said Van in a weak voice. "You have to. We are going to get married and I don't want you to die before that happens," said a teary eyed Fiona. Van didn't respond.  
  
A few moments passed and all was quiet. A sudden cracking sound brought Fiona's attention away from Van. She looked up to see Zack with his hands clasped tightly around the limp Ryan's neck. "Human's are so weak. Only the zoidian race is capable of ruling this planet like it was meant to be," growled Zack as he threw the dead body of Ryan off to the side next to the now unconscious form of Ashley. "You're a zoidian?" asked a shocked Van. "Of course. Humans are incapable of doing anything right. So I have charged with taking back this planet from the weak humans who inhabit it," said Zack with a loud laugh. "You could have helped Fiona, but you decided to ally yourself with those weak humans," said Zack seriously. "No, we are not weak," said Van, but he suddenly clutched his stomach in pain. Zack just stared on in amusement. Fiona could feel his hands growing cold. Van then suddenly went limp in her arms. He was alive for the moment, but Fiona didn't know if he would survive much long. His breaths were coming out in hard gasps. "No, Van," whispered Fiona with more tears. "If you want to be with him that bad, then I guess I can send you to him," growled Ryan as he pulled out a dagger. He then charged at Fiona. She looked on with a hard face as he charged right at her.  
  
Fiona just stood there. She was on a balcony watching the setting sun. Her daughter was right by her side. Neither of them spoke. It was very quiet. Her daughter looked up at Fiona with kind eyes, yet she said nothing. Fiona was twisting the ring that she had on her finger. "Hey Fiona," said Moonbay quietly as she walked up behind Fiona. "Hey Moonbay," said Fiona not even turning around to look at her friend. "What's up? Is something on you mind?" asked Moonbay with a small smile. "I was just thinking," said Fiona quietly before turning around to look at Moonbay. Kristi then ran by both of them and into the base. "About what happened?" asked Moonbay with a sad look on her face. "Yeah. It didn't matter how much I tried to stop it from happening. In the end it still happened and I was powerless to stop it," said Fiona in a sad voice. "Van just did what he always did for you Fiona. He protected you with everything that he had," said Moonbay looking at her friend. "I know that. The thing is that everything that I did to try and stop it from happening just seemed to urge it forward even more," said Fiona turning back to watch the sunset. This time Moonbay walked right next to her and watched it as well. "Van was brave for doing what he did. It is over now because of him," said Moonbay with a smile on her face. "I know," said Fiona smiling as well. "So what are you going to do now?" asked Moonbay looking at Fiona. "First I am going to try and get my life back on track. After that will all depend I guess," said Fiona with a calm face as she watched the sun finally go down. "Come on Fiona. Why don't we go watch as they take that bastard away," said Moonbay with a weak smile in her face. "I guess I can do that," said Fiona with a small smile as well. The two of them then walked back into the base. 


	44. a new future

"Get your filthy hands off of me you filthy humans," growled Zack as he was being dragged into the back of a zoid. He was tied up but unfortunately they weren't able to gag him back when they got close he always tried to bite them. "You are all weak! When I get out of here you will all suffer," he growled as they forced him in. "If we are so weak then why is it that you are the one that is under custody?" asked Thomas with a slight smirk on his face. "You try being hit by two different powers at once and you would probably be dead! Not me though," said Zack in a nasty tone. "Yeah, yeah. Will somebody please shut him up! He is starting to give me a headache," yelled the pilot of the zoid. "We've tried. It is up to you to put up with him," said Irvine with a laugh. "If he doesn't shut up, then can I throw him overboard?" asked the pilot as he boarded his reddler. "Sorry, but we need him alive. Although I don't think they would mind if he was hurt a little," said Van with a smirk as he walked up to them all. Zack glared at him with pure hatred. "Why can't I get rid of you? You should be dead!" yelled Zack at the top of his lungs. "Well I am not thanks to my friends," said Van with a smirk on his face. He was about to yell more but the cockpit closed. "Thank you," said Van as he massaged his head. Eh then watched as the reddler took off to take it's cargo to the right location.  
  
A few moments later, Fiona and Moonbay came walking into the room. "Van!" Yelled Fiona happily as she ran into his arms. "Ouch!" yelled Van as Fiona pulled away and he rubbed his wrapped up stomach. "Oh sorry," said Fiona with a sorry face. "It is ok. A little pain is better then dying," said Van with a weak smile. "I'll say. You were close to dying," said Fiona with a sad face. "Well I am not. I guess we can thank Irvine and Thomas for helping us," said Van looking at the two. "No need to thank us," said Irvine in embarrassment. "Yeah, we were just doing our job," said Thomas in the exact same state. "One question. What did happen once I past out?" asked Van in confusion. "We are still trying to figure that out. Once we got there, there you were in your horrible state. Fiona was unconscious, and that guy Zack was in a terrible state as well," said Thomas after thinking it over. "Oh ok," said Van with a shrug of his shoulders. "Listen. I am going to see how Ashley is doing so I will see you later," said Thomas in a hurry as he rushed out of the room. "Send her my regards," said Van with a smile. "She helped me to get to you so I guess I can put behind what she did," he continued. "Everything seems to have turned out fine, and you thought it would all turn out badly," said Van with a grin on his face as he looked towards Fiona. She glared at him. "I can't help," said Fiona in her own defense. "You are too much of a worry wart," said Van in a teasing voice. "Care to take a walk with me?" asked Van with a smile on his face. "I would love to," said Fiona with a smile to return his.  
  
"I was so scared when it happened to you Van," said Fiona as she latched herself to his arm. "Some good came out of it I guess," said Van with a slight smile. "What happened before Irvine and Thomas got there, Fiona?" asked Van looking at her. "I don't know, but I will tell you what I know happened happen, and what Reese told me once we were back," said Fiona seriously. "I am all ears," said Van with a small smile. I will tell you what happened since you passed out," said Fiona sadly.  
  
***Flashback***  
  
Fiona could feel his hands growing cold. Van then suddenly went limp in her arms. He was alive for the moment, but Fiona didn't know if he would survive much long. His breaths were coming out in hard gasps. "No, Van," whispered Fiona with more tears. "If you want to be with him that bad, then I guess I can send you to him," growled Ryan as he pulled out a dagger. He then charged at Fiona. She looked on with a hard face as he charged right at her. Suddenly he stopped right in his tracks and backed away a little bit. "Nice try Reese, but your mind games won't work on me," said Zack as he turned around to look at the very weak Reese. "If I had more energy it would work better," said Reese in a weak voice. Zack just laughed an evil laugh. You are a traitor to us and must be dealt with," said Zack with a malicious smile on his face. He was about to change his attack to the weak Reese but a sudden force seemed to push him against a wall. He groaned and got up off the floor. "What the hell was that?" asked Zack wiping a little blood from his mouth. He looked over and saw Fiona with a look of pure hatred in her eyes. "What the! She wasn't supposed to have these type of powers, and even if she did I know that she wouldn't be the type to use it," said Zack. Another sudden jolt threw him against the wall. "You will be amazed at what love can make a person do," said Reese with a grin on her face. After being weakened Reese knew that he would be easier to toy with in the mind. The two seemed to be able to use both of their powers at once. That did more damage then either of them using it separately. He slammed against the wall with such force that he fell unconscious. Reese looked towards Fiona and she saw her fall down upon the floor right next to Van. She didn't blame her because using powers at such a weakened state took a lot out of a zoidian. The door to the room suddenly burst open and Irvine, Thomas, and after a few minutes Raven ran into the room. Thomas and Irvine immediately went to tend to their friends, but Raven immediately went over to Reese.  
  
***End Flashback***  
  
"If they had gotten there any later. You probably would have died Van," said Fiona as a tear fell down her face. Van wrapped Fiona in a hug. Fiona was quick to respond to it. "It is ok Fiona. I am right here. I am going to be fine," said Van in a soothing tone to try and calm Fiona down a little. "I don't want to think of you being dead," said Fiona as another tear fell down her face. Van just continued to hug her until she finally calmed down a little bit. When Fiona was able to calm down they just remained in their embrace. "Just think about this Fiona. I am alive and we are going to get married soon. How does that sound?" asked Van in a very nice voice. "That sounds great," said Fiona wiping the remaining tears from her eyes. "Good. Why don't we head back,' said Van as they walked into a small canyon that was near the base. What they saw there caught both of them by surprise though.  
  
"We have urgent news sir," said a man as he ran up to Crougar. "What is it?" asked Crougar seeing the urgency in his voice. "We seem to have lost contact with the unit assigned to take the prison," said the soldier. "What was that?" yelled Crougar sitting up in his chair. "We have lost the signal for the unit. I am afraid that something may have happened to them," said the solider. "Put everyone in that area on full alert," yelled Crougar. "I am afraid that he may have escaped," said Crougar with a growl. "What is going on?" asked Thomas as they walked into the room. "The prisoner Zack has suddenly disappeared along with the escort unit. We think that he may have escaped," said Crougar with a lot of urgency in his voice. "Where at?" asked Irvine in an urgent voice. 'I will not have this entire war stared over because of this one probably,' thought Irvine with a growl. "It was said to be in this area," said Crougar pulling up a map. "Wait a minute," said Thomas knowing something about that area. "Isn't that?" asked Irvine but before he could finish Thomas spoke again. "Yeah," said Thomas in a disbelieving voice. The two of them suddenly dashed out of the room.  
  
"Van, isn't this the escort unit that was used to send Zack away?" asked Fiona as the two of them walked through the wreckage of the many reddlers. "Yes it is," said Van as he ran up to one of them. He looked into the cockpit and saw the very bloody pilot and the torn up ropes in the back of the cockpit. 'Oh no,' thought Van as he quickly rushed out of it. "Let's get out of here," said Van as he grabbed Fiona hand to get her away from the area as fast as they could. The sudden clicking of a gun caught their ears, Van ran even faster after that but then a gunshot was heard. 


End file.
